Legislator charged with DUI after hitting utility pole in Atlanta

<p>State Rep. Ben Harbin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has been charged with driving under the influence after police say his car hit a utility pole.</p><p>Harbin, R-Evans, was driving near downtown Atlanta early Sunday when he hit the pole, police said. The car went another 40 to 50 feet before coming to a rest.</p><p>Harbin, 43, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital as a precaution and charged with DUI, said Officer Eric Schwartz. No one else was in the car with Harbin.</p><p>Schwartz did not know if Harbin was given a sobriety test.</p><p>Robby Russ, a waiter at a nearby restaurant, ran out to help after the crash.</p><p>Russ, 41, said Harbin was coherent and without any visible signs of injuries. He wasn't in "bad shape on the intoxication level," said Russ, who has been tending bars for 18 years.</p><p>"I know he's been charged with DUI, and I know he's an important guy. But he wasn't wasted," he said. "He wasn't slurring his speech or falling over his face. He composed himself very well."</p><p>Harbin, who has served in the Georgia House since 1995, is chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the key panel in the House that oversees how the state's budget is spent.</p><p>He assumed the position in 2005, when Republicans took control of the House. He is part of the Republican power structure that also includes Speaker Glenn Richardson, R-Hiram, and Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter, R-Alpharetta.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2de9d6c)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/5/98693