According to TMZ, Sam Donaldson was arrested in Delaware in December 2012 for driving under the influence. The veteran ABC anchor, age 78, was apparently seen driving onto the shoulder of a road, before not passing a sobriety test.
After failing the sobriety test, the veteran ABC anchor, was then taken to a police station close to the area. Then, he was booked for a DUI and released.
Whenever someone is booked, the person is likely searched. The booking search allows the police to search someone without a warrant. A booking search is an administrative inventory search of arrestees or their property, after being lawfully taken into custody, for safety or to ensure arrestees’ personal items are not lost, does not require reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment to be valid, as long as the search is performed according to standardized criteria and procedure.
Digital Spy reported local police sources stated Donaldson was “very co-operative” throughout the arrest. Donaldson has worked with ABC News since 1967. He is known for being the White House correspondent from 1977 to 1989 and from 1998 to 1999. Before ABC News, Donaldson attended New Mexico Military Institute and Texas Western College where he served as station manager of KTEP, a campus radio station.
Besides ABC News, he has anchored 20/20 and This Week. He is a current contributor and analyst for the ABC network.
Luckily no one was hurt from Donaldson’s driving under the influence. If a car wreck took place, emotional damage could have resulted. When a person dies in a car crash, the family or friends of the accident victims might file a wrongful death case against the responsible parties in order to get justice for the pain they suffer. The death of a loved one is a life-changing moment that may never fully be placed in the past. In a split second, a person can die from a person driving under the influence, with no one ever experiencing the person’s energy, hug, or love again.
Besides the driving under the influence incident, Donaldson has been involved in prior scandals. For instance, on August 2, 2006, during the last White House Press conference in the briefing room, Donaldson shouted: “Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven?”, referencing publicity of the actor’s alleged anti-Semitic comments.
On the issue of pest control, Donaldson got embroiled in a Federal aid controversy. While receiving Federal mohair subsidies, it was revealed he used Federal resources to kill bobcats, dogs, foxes, and coyotes on his ranch. The veteran anchor outraged animal rights activists.
On The Tea Party, wizbang reported Donaldson said on the Chris Matthews Sunday Show on December 23, 2012 that “The Tea Party” should be gotten “rid of.” He seemed to be supporting minorities: “The minorities re-elected president Obama, but I’m going with Katty. It’s the Tea Party and thinking of the Tea Party and people like that that are driving the Republicans out of contention as a national party. You cannot win nationally if you don’t know something about the way the country’s changed, and the Tea Party seems to think the country can go back 25 or 30 years. The greatest slogan that I hated during this last campaign was “We want to take back our country.” Guys, it’s not your country anymore – it’s our country and you’re part of it, but that thinking is going to defeat Republicans nationally if they don’t get rid of it.”