Following his driving under the influence arrest last week, Mayor Craig Lowe filed a formal plea of not guilty in his case Thursday.
Lowe, who is running for re-election against Ed Braddy in the April 16 runoff election, was arrested March 21 after authorities found him in his damaged car near the intersection of Northeast 21st Street and Northeast 156th Avenue.
His arraignment scheduled for April 11 was canceled because he entered the written plea. He is scheduled to appear in court April 24, according to the Alachua County Clerk of Courts.
Darby Hertz, Lowe’s attorney, released a statement about the decision.
“A plea of not guilty, being filed, permits the attorney and the client additional time to discuss the charges, the options the client has with respect to those charges, and to conduct additional investigation, if needed,” she wrote.
Early on March 21, Lowe, 55, lost control of his 2005 Honda Civic while driving on Northeast 156th Avenue and hit a road sign, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.
FHP trooper Javon Murphy found Lowe in his car and arrested him after he “performed poorly” on a field sobriety test, according to an FHP report.
About four hours after the crash, FHP reported Lowe’s blood alcohol content levels to be .061 and .069. Murphy concluded Lowe’s BAC level was more than .08 at the time of the crash.
On March 22, Lowe announced he would continue campaigning for the mayoral race.
“I regret that my actions [March 21] have disappointed so many friends, supporters, and citizens of Gainesville,” he said in a statement. “I hope that in the future I will again prove worthy of the public’s trust and confidence.”
Contact Kathryn Varn at kvarn@alligator.org.
