officers - The Black Vault

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'Rodney King Gets Driver's License Back After Ruling by DMV Official
SANTA ANA CCNS> -Rodney King regained his driver~s license after an
official ruled there was insufficient proof that he refused to take a blood
test upon his arrest for alleged drunken driving, it was reported today.
·'I am happy, very happy. It will be a thrill fo~ me to drive again,''
King told the Los Angeles Times, adding that he plans to take his wife and
two sons to Disneyland later this week.
King, whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers was seen
worldwide, was arrested in the early hours of July 16 in a Denny's parking
lot in Orange by California Highway Patrol officers.
He got his license back yesterday evening at the Santa Ana office of his
attorney, Milton Grimes, several hours after Department of Motor Vehicles
hearing officer Kathleen Anderson issued her ruling.
The 27-year-old Altadena resident testified a ~eek ago before Anderson
that he was upset and confused by a CHP officer, who he said challenged him
about the truth of his version of his March 1991 beating in Lake View
Tet"l'"aCea
King said he therefore did not understand the warning from the other
officer who told him that under California law, a suspected drunken driver
automatically has his license suspended if he refuses to take a blood,
urine or breath test, the Times reported.
According to published reports, the officers said King was driving
erratically in the parking lot, and that they smelled alcohol as they
approached his Chevrolet Bla~er. But witnesses challenged the CHP account.
During a three-day DMV hearing that ended Oct. 2&, King argued he took a
field sobriety test and would have undergone chemical tests if he had
understood that they were being requested.
King testified he'd had one beer and part of a second earlier that day
and denied driving while under the influence. Cou~ty prosecutors declined
to file charges, saying there was insufficient evidence. But King's license
was suspended because he did not take the chemical tests, a ruling he
appealed.
City News Service 10:18 11/3/1992
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FBI- LOS AN