Mayor White's daughter arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated

(8/01/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Elena White, daughter of Houston Mayor Bill White, faces serious charges after she was arrested for drinking and driving. The 17-year-old was pulled over by police Monday night, less than a mile from her home.

This has been difficult for the mayor to discuss. There was a strain in his voice when he talked about Elena's arrest. The mayor describes his daughter to us as "hard working" and not a "party animal," saying there may have been a mistake.

The intersection of Antoine and Memorial is manicured and surrounded by beautiful houses. That's where the arrest happened Monday night just after 11pm. Elena White was initially pulled over after a deputy constable for Precinct 5 reported the car didn't have lights on and was not driving within the traffic lanes. He says the deputy noticed something when he approached the car.

"As the deputy approached the vehicle, he detected the odor of alcohol," said Harris County Precinct 5 Assistant Chief Leroy Michna. "Based on that, he took the driver out of the car and administered a field sobriety."

Michna says that field sobriety test was recorded and based on the results, Elena was taken into custody. She declined to take a breath test and was taken to city jail on Mykawa, where she was later released on $500 bond.

Authorites say there was no alcohol found in the car, and Elena was alone. These are all factors, our legal expert says, will work to her favor.

"It will, because there's no evidence the person was drinking in the car while she was driving and frankly, there's no evidence," said ABC13 legal expert Joel Androphy. "A lot of police officers make the mistake of smelling someone's breath and smelling someone's breathe doesn't mean much."

It's how the public has reacted that the mayor says means much to him and his family. He is thankful for support he's gotten. As for his daughter, Elena, the mayor says he believes the arrest was a mistake.

"My daughter believes she was not intoxicated and not dangerous and wasn't impaired to drive," said Mayor White Tuesday. "So we'll be reviewing the tape."

That tape has been entered as evidence, which means it is not for public viewing. Channel 13 has submitted a request to get a copy of that tape. As for driving without lights, the mayor says his daughter was driving his car, a Toyota Prius, an energy saving car where the lights do not automatically turn on.

Elena White has a scheduled court appearance set for August 8. Although drivers can refuse to submit to a blood, breath, or urine test, that decision comes with severe penalties. If an officer believes a person is driving while intoxicated and the driver refuses to submit to a test, the person's driver's license will be automatically suspended for a minimum of 90 days if the person is at least 21 years old. If the driver is under 21, their license is automatically suspended for a year. (Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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