Charged with drunken driving, the chairman of the Prince George's County liquor license board will step down from his role as chairman after being asked to do so by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, the governor's office said.
Charles Caldwell III agreed to step down, Shareese DeLeaver Churchill, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Tuesday evening.
“Under these circumstances, the governor does not have the authority to remove Mr. Caldwell from the board. However, the governor is very concerned and disappointed in this situation and has asked Mr. Caldwell to step down from his role as chairman, which he has agreed to do," she said in a statement.
Caldwell, 72, was arrested and charged with DUI early Friday after he crashed into two cars as he left the grand opening celebration at MGM National Harbor casino and resort.
Police said he repeatedly reminded them of his job and also asked if officials could make the arrest "go away."
Caldwell did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Caldwell, who administers and enforces Maryland alcohol laws, strongly smelled of alcohol when an officer responded to the crash at Monument and National avenues about 11:45 p.m. Thursday, a police report says.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
An officer asked him if he had been drinking, and Caldwell reportedly replied, "Yes, I had one drink." He said he had "balance issues" but that no medical problems would impair his ability to take a field sobriety test.
Caldwell agreed to the test and stepped out of his black BMW. He wobbled as he walked and nearly fell multiple times, police said. His speech was described as slurred, slow, mumbled and confused.
He said multiple times that he was chairman of the liquor board, according to police.
Caldwell was arrested and taken to the Oxon Hill police station to take a breath test. There, he was "very uncooperative" and refused to follow officers' orders, such as sitting on a bench in the breath-testing room, police said.
The blood alcohol test was administered at 12:40 a.m. Friday, police said. The results were not included in the police report.
After Caldwell finished the test, police said he asked, "Is there a way we can make this go away?"
Officers charged Caldwell with driving under the influence and drove him home.
Caldwell told News4 he was unsteady because of his age, and he should have called an Uber car to head home.
The vice chairman of the board Caldwell headed will take on leadership duties on an interim basis, Hogan's spokeswoman said.
