CHEROKEE COUNTY, Texas — Police documents show a Cherokee County commissioner who was charged with driving while intoxicated acted aggressively toward law enforcement and had a nearly empty bottle of whiskey in his truck during a traffic stop.
Cherokee County Pct. 2 Commissioner Steven Norton was charged Friday night on driving while intoxicated with an open container and evading arrest, according to an arrest affidavit.
The document states a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper came to assist a Cherokee County deputy regarding a reckless driver on County 2206 in the Rusk area. The driver was later identified as Norton, the affidavit read.
His vehicle was moving all over the road and went from traveling very slow to very fast. The pickup truck nearly struck other vehicles, a witness reported to police.
When the trooper pulled Norton over, the officer noticed he had "glassy blood shot eyes, a strong smell of an alcoholic beverage on his breath when he spoke, poor balance" while he leaned against his truck, the affidavit read.
The trooper also noted Norton's shorts were unzipped and his speech was slurred. Norton also seemed irritated and acted aggressive, the affidavit detailed.
According to the document, the trooper found a 1.75-liter bottle of Crown Royal Whiskey and it only had one-third left. Based on the circumstances, he was charged with a DWI. While the officers walked back to the patrol vehicle, the trooper heard Norton call him an "a**hole."
Norton rejected a blood test twice to determine his blood alcohol content level. After being taken to a local hospital, the trooper and deputy passively held Norton's wrists to take his blood sample, the affidavit stated.
Police said Norton made a noise in attempt to scare the hospital nurse taking the sample and the trooper. His blood sample was sent to DPS Tyler crime lab, according to the affidavit.
Norton issued a statement apologizing for the incident on his Facebook page.
"I want to apologize to all my family, friends, constituents, and law enforcement personnel for the poor judgment I displayed last night. I accept full responsibility for creating this incident. I have never been in any kind of trouble in my life. This is not who I am…I may have had three or four speeding tickets in my entire driving career," Norton said. "I promise with all my heart I had no intent to evade arrest. I didn’t see any lights until I was in my driveway. I promise everyone that I will fully take responsibility for my actions and that, going forward, I will uphold the high standard of behavior that is expected of me. I know I am better than this."