Local attorney Mike Richardson pleads guilty to lesser charges after DUI charge dropped

photo Attorney Mike Richardson

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This story is featured in today's TimesFreePress newscast.

Local attorney Mike Richardson pleaded guilty to speeding and reckless driving this morning in Hamilton County Criminal Court.

He had faced a June trial on those charges plus DUI but the jury couldn't reach a verdict.

The prosecutor dropped the DUI charge, which Richardson's attorney Bill Speek challenged throughout the trial.

Brooklyn Martin, an assistant district attorney with the 10th Judicial District, prosecuted the case.

Martin was brought in to avoid any conflict with local prosecutors who've worked against Richardson in past cases.

The prosecutor told Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern that the plea deal would include suspended 30-day sentences and a $350 fine. She added that the hung jury in the trial contributed to dismissing the DUI charge.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that on Nov. 30, 2011, a Signal Mountain police officer observed Richardson, 59, speeding and pulled him over. The officer said he smelled alcohol and asked Richardson to perform a field sobriety test, which he failed.

We saw this east of our office in north Springdale.

Posted by NWADG on Wednesday, March 25, 2015

A blood alcohol test revealed, hours later, that Richardson had a level of .12, higher than the legal limit of .08.

But Speek argued that at the time of the stop Richardson's body had not metabolized the alcohol and it was only the delay of the blood test that allowed his intoxication to register as high as it did.

Jurors were stuck on that question. Two female jurors said after the trial said that they didn't believe prosecutors had proven Richardson was intoxicated while driving.

For more see tomorrow's Times Free Press.

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