COLORBEARER OF ATHENS, GEORGIA LOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1987
September 25, 2012

Candidate DUI

Local state House candidate Carter Kessler's story about his DUI arrest doesn't sync up with the official version.

Last week, we told you about Republican state House candidate Carter Kessler's odd choice of a place to do his community service for a DUI conviction—Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit run by his Democratic opponent, Spencer Frye.

The local Democratic blog Georgia Progress obtained a copy of a police report contradicting Kessler's version of events posted on his website. They don't name their source, but it looks like a legit Athens-Clarke County incident report.

Kessler said he was pushing his moped on the street where he lives. The arresting officer, though, said he nearly wrecked his scooter as he tried to pull out of a parking space at the corner of College Avenue and Clayton Street. His address is listed as Holman Avenue, his current residence several miles away.

Kessler has acknowledged a second DUI in Putnam County. In addition, a Robert Carter Kessler matching his age and physical appearance was cited for underage drinking back in 2000, when an officer caught him sitting in an SUV in the courthouse parking deck with an open jug of Jim Beam.

We're not trying to pick on the guy, but voters need to know about politicians' criminal records, and candidates ought to be aware that, eventually, it's going to come out.

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