Richard John Santorum, Jr. son of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, was arrested and charged last month with driving while intoxicated (DWI). According to court papers, Santorum, Jr, better known as John, he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in suburban Virginia about midnight on July 11, when his initial blood-alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit.
A police officer had written in Santorum's criminal complaint, "Upon contact, I detected the odor of alcoholic beverages and the accused had glassy eyes and slurred speech." Furthermore, the complaint also contained that the 22-year-old Citadel cadet was showing obvious signs of impairments during his field sobriety test. His first breath-test gave a reading of .145 which was nearly double the legal limit of .08. At the jail his blood-alcohol level was .11.
Christopher Day, the lawyer representing John Santorum, Jr., said, "I don't try my cases in the press and I don't have anything to say about my client."
On the other hand Rick Santorum's campaign spokesman Matt Beynon agreed with Day and said that the campaign does not comment on the family's personal matters.
This is a tough time for Santorum who was built his political brand around the message of traditional family values. Low poll number, poor fundraising and staff changes have been persistently straining his campaign efforts.
Santorum, did not meet the requirements for the first prime-time Republican debate on Fox News last Thursday, but he will instead join in an earlier undercard debate.
John, Santorum's eldest son, is in his last year at the South Carolina military college majoring in business, according to Santorum's campaign website. Moreover the site also says that "Outside of school, John enjoys swimming, working out, running, boxing, and hunting. John also spends a lot of time taking care of his beloved pickup truck while listening to country music. Could he be possibly listening to country music and driving while intoxicated the night he was arrested?
