By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
May 13, 2008

Hood River County Administrator David Meriwether was arrested for DUII on Saturday night.

According to reports, Meriwether failed field sobriety tests shortly after 11:30 p.m. on May 10. His vehicle had been pulled over by Hood River Police Officer Mike Martin near the junction of Frankton and Summit View roads.

After being taken into custody, Meriwether was transported to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facilities in The Dalles. He posted bail early Sunday morning and returned to his Hood River home, according to NORCOR officials.

He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Hood River Circuit Court at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 2.

Meriwether declined to comment about the incident.

Meriwether is a contracted management employee of Hood River County; he serves at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners. On Monday, commission Chair Ron Rivers issued the following statement in support of Meriwether:

“I have the utmost respect for David Meriwether. He is a consummate professional and an asset to this county. People are capable of making a mistake in life and we need to give David the opportunity to vindicate himself.”

Meriwether was hired as the county administrator in 2001, leaving his job as the city manager of Silverton. He was hired after an almost five-month national search and was the top choice out of 80 applicants.