City councilman sentenced
Published 9:52 pm Thursday, April 7, 2011
City councilman Tim Skalla will pay more than $1,000 in fees and costs and attend a victim’s impact panel as part of a sentence he received Wednesday for driving while intoxicated.
Skalla, 58, was arrested Feb. 25 after he was involved in a two-vehicle accident on West River Road.
During his arrest, a “strong odor of intoxicants” was smelled on Skalla’s breath, according to the police report. The Fourth Ward city councilman was asked to perform three sobriety tests and did poorly on each of them. Skalla then submitted to a Breathalyzer test, for which he blew a 0.07 percent blood alcohol level, just short of the state’s minimum to be considered drunken driving.
According to the Berrien County prosecutor’s office, Skalla was ordered to pay $1,085 in fines and costs.
He must also attend a victim’s impact panel, which is a program for those convicted of impaired driving to give them an understanding of how victims are affected by those who drive while impaired.
Skalla entered a not guilty plea following his arrest, bonding out of jail for $100. He entered a guilty plea March 23.
Following his arrest, Skalla said he was sorry the incident had happened.