AP Photo/Billy Gillispie booking photo/Franklin County Regional Jail
Billy Gillispie, former University of Kentucky basketball coach, was arrested for DUI early this morning in Anderson County, Kentucky. Police allege that they received a 911 call claiming that a white Mercedes-Benz with Texas tags was driving erratically on US Highway 127. Gillispie, who drives a white Mercedes with Texas tags, was pulled over by police shortly thereafter around 2:45 a.m.
Officers allege that Gillispie smelled of a strong odor of alcohol, and that he refused to take any field sobriety tests or breath tests. Gillispie claimed that he had just returned from playing golf. Billy Gillispie was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). The passenger in the vehicle, Charles O'Connor, was charged with alcohol intoxication as well.
Both men were transported to the Franklin County Jail. At a court appearance later in the day, Gillispie was released on his own recognizance. He was ordered to be back in court on September 23 for a pretrial conference, and for trial on October 5.
Billy Gillispie has a history of DUI arrests. In addition to this case, he is know to have been arrested on at least two other occassions. In 1999 he was charged with a DUI in Oklahoma, which was later reduced to reckless driving in a guilty plea agreement. In 2003, Gillispie was charged with a DUI in Texas after driving the wrong way on a one-way street. When the police asked him to produce his drivers license, he allegedly handed the officer a credit card. That DUI charge was later dropped.
Despite this being Gillispie's third DUI arrest, from a sentencing standpoint this would be considered his first DUI because he prior arrests did not result in DUI convictions.
Comments
This fellow is in need of some intervention. As a Kentuckian, I have great love for the man, but as a human being, this pattern of behavior concerns me. I wish him help and healing.
For crying out loud, do something before he kills someone or himself. He's certainly not being deterred from this behavior when he's given a plea agreement.
It's unfortunate that he didn't wrap his car around a tree and solve this problem for us.
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