NASHVILLE, Tenn. – There are new
developments in the DUI case surrounding State Representative Curry Todd. His
attorney now says they are working to cut a deal with prosecutors. State representative Curry Todd's attorney appeared before a judge and entered a plea of not guilty for the Collierville Republican on DUI and weapons charges.
Todd was pulled over in October 2011 for going 60 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone.
He was arrested after failing a roadside sobriety test. Police also found a loaded .38-caliber gun stuffed in a holster between the driver's seat and center console.
Todd was the lead sponsor of a law allowing handgun carry permit holders to bring their guns into bars. One of his arguments for the bill was that gun permit holders were responsible enough to know that guns and alcohol don't mix.
"He spent all his time arguing that as a permit holder that we don't violate the law. We are responsible and, of course, we would never drink when we had our guns. Then to be arrested for the very thing that he was out there clamoring about is a little bit of poetic justice, if you will," said attorney Adam Dread, who formed a coalition to fight Todd on the issue.
Since Todd refused to take a breathalyzer, he voluntarily surrendered his driver's license for a year under the state's implied consent law.
"If this is a DUI first offense, he would potentially qualify for a restrictive license, which could get him to work, school, but unfortunately for him, not to the bars," Dread said.
Todd was a former police officer so he had a gun carry permit. If Todd is convicted of a misdemeanor, he will not be allowed to carry a handgun for the duration of a sentence imposed by the court.
