Trial for Mayor White's daughter delayed

(2/06/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- The trial of Mayor Bill White's daughter was delayed Tuesday morning as prosecutor did some editing on a police video tape.

The trial started an hour late because prosecutors spent much of the morning removing the word, hookah, from the police video tape of Elena White's field sobriety test.

Hookah is a word being used to describe a water pipe. It is a word that the defense attorney argued to use in open court and the judge agreed.

Elena White, 17, is accused of driving while intoxicated last summer. She was arrested a mile from her parents' home on the night of July 31. The first prosecution witness was the deputy constable who stopped her.

It was after 11am when the jury was brought into the courtroom. The jury heard from a second deputy who was there on the night of July 31, 2006.

A Harris County Constable Precinct 5 deputy testified that he noticed the smell of alcohol on Elena's breath. He also testified that he noticed she had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

Elena was in the courtroom with her mother, Andrea White. She has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors are expected to call two more witnesses. The defense said they expect to wrap up their case tomorrow.

The six member jury hearing the case is comprised of three men and three women.

If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Elena faces a sentence of anything from probation to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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