A police officer assigned to drive and guard House Speaker Newt Gingrich was arrested on drunken driving charges while on official business in Texas last month, the Daily News said Tuesday.
Gingrich had not been informed of the arrest of Capitol police officer John Erickson, who was charged June 28 in San Antonio while doing advance work for a Gingrich trip, according to the News.Erickson, 29, of Crofton, Md., was found in a government-rented convertible, parked on a roadside at 3:25 a.m. with "his head on his chest, passed out, extremely intoxicated," the News quoted the police report.
"His speech was slurred," it said. "His eyes bloodshot, with strong breath odor of intoxicants."
He refused to take a breath test, and was released after spending several hours in jail, the News said.
Gingrich's office declined to comment and referred questions to the Capitol police.