March 1999 — Gardner is arrested and cited for investigation of drunken driving. He says he picked up a hitchhiker who gave him a drink of vodka.
April 1999 — Gardner is charged with driving under the influence, a class B misdemeanor. He pleads innocent.
November 1999 — The two-term GOP commissioner pleads no contest to DUI charge. As part of a plea-in-abeyance, he is told the charge will be erased if he keeps a clean record for nine months.
August 2000 — Gardner is charged with disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor, for roughing up a 9-year-old boy. Judge rules the charge violated plea-in-abeyance agreement. As a result, his DUI case moves to district court for trial.
October 2000 — Gardner is arrested again for investigation of drunken driving, prompting Utah County's GOP to call for his resignation.
November 2000 — Gardner pleads not guilty to charges of driving under the influence, theft and driving with an open container of alcohol. All three charges stem from the October 2000 DUI arrest.
February 2001 — Gardner pleads guilty to driving while intoxicated and having an open container, both class B misdemeanors. Prosecutors dismiss a charge of theft. He is sentenced to serve two days in the Utah County Jail's work diversion program and pay about $1,300 in fines. He is also placed on a one-year probation and must pay $150 for an alcohol evaluation. He must complete any treatment recommend by the alcohol assessment.
April 2002 — Just weeks before a scheduled trial, the first DUI charge is dropped after a judge tossed out most of the evidence. The judge ruled that police officers waited too long before officially placing Gardner under arrest.
November 2002 — Utah's Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing places Gardner, a licensed marriage and family therapist, on a three-year probation after a probe into 12 counts of professional misconduct.