Gene Suellentrop.Photo: John Hanna/AP/Shutterstock
And that’s when things got weird.
After giving chase for several minutes, during which he witnessed the SUV swerve and seemingly put other drivers in danger, Shepley wrote that he stopped Suellentrop, 69, and noticed not only a smell of alcohol coming from inside the car but the driver looking at him “with a confused, frightened, blank stare.”
Other behaviors Shepley wrote that he noticed from Suellentrop were “watery,” “droopy” and “bloodshot eyes,” as well as slurring of speech and difficulty maintaining his balance.
Suellentrop allegedly refused a Breathalyzer test, Shepley writes in the affidavit, saying that blood results came back six days later showing a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 —over twice the legal limit.
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Gene Suellentrop.Shawnee County Jail/AP/Shutterstock
According to Shepley, while in custody at Shawnee County Jail the politician remarked aloud: “All for going the wrong way.”
Suellentrop also allegedly said the words “donut boy” while Shepley was in the room and, later, took on a “slightly aggressive” tone while at Stormont Vail Hospital & Trauma Center in Topeka, when the phlebotomist wastaking his blood for testing.
“He made reference to physically going up against me,” Shepley alleged in the affidavit. “He looked me up and down stating he played sports competitively in high school. He stated he could ‘take me.’ "
Neither Suellentrop’s office nor the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office responded to PEOPLE’s emailed requests for comment on Friday.
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“I regret that this incident has caused a distraction for my colleagues and the Senate staff, and most importantly, from the important issues we are debating on behalf of the people of Kansas,” Suellentrop added.
According to theStar, Suellentrop was stillset to receive $500 biweekly employee paymentsas of March 30, even after turning his duties over to Alley, 72.
He is set to appear in court on June 3. It is unclear if he has entered a plea.
Police car.Getty
“While Senator Suellentrop deserves due process and appropriate consequences for his irresponsible behavior, he also deserves to be held to the same level of accountability as the Kansans he has been elected to represent. I am disappointed that he has not come to this conclusion himself,” Sykes said.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and Vice President Rick Wilborn said in a joint statement obtained according to KSNT: “After having had a chance to review the affidavit, we reiterate our previous statement thatthe underlying incident is very serious, and we are thankful that no one was injured. While we continue to respect due process, there are many aspects of the alleged behavior that are deeply disappointing, and severe consequences will be unavoidable.”
“With just a few days in the session remaining, we will finish up our work with Senator Larry Alley fulfilling the duties of the majority leader,” they added. “Any decisions regarding the future will be made in due course.”
source: people.com
