Oklahoma Mayor Gets Deferred Term on Alcohol Charges

Associated Press

EUFAULA, Oklahoma -- A McIntosh County judge has given Eufaula's mayor a one-year deferred sentence and fined him $900 in connection with a drunken-driving arrest.

Dean Smith on Wednesday pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, transporting an open container of alcohol and failing to obey a traffic signal. District Judge Thomas Bartheld also ordered Smith to undergo drug and alcohol assessments.

He still faces trial on felony counts of embezzlement by a public officer for allegedly using his office to obtain about $200 by using a city credit card to buy gasoline and later being reimbursed.

Smith says it's been an unfortunate situation for him and the city, and he has learned a lot about the justice system and small-town politics.