Bob Beckett Advertisement

Last Friday Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving in Barstow, Calif., District Court.

Beckett was charged with drunk driving, although he staunchly maintains he was not under the influence of alcohol June 15, 2008, when he was cited for crashing his family's van on California Route 127.

Nonetheless, as a condition of a plea deal offered by the San Bernardino District Attorney's Office, Beckett will complete a class on the dangers of alcohol and automobiles.

He was placed on three years of unsupervised probation and fined $1,703 for his first-time offense.

Don Chairez, Beckett's attorney, said he and Beckett did not approach the Inyo County district attorney for a deal. "They reached out to us," he said. "This is a good resolution. Bob was willing to fight the case as long as he was being prosecuted for drunk driving.

"We were ready to go to trial. Bob had a clean record before this. I don't know if their trial calendar is overcrowded or if they didn't feel they could prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt."

Beckett maintains a then undiagnosed medical condition caused him to crash two vehicles within six hours on the same stretch of highway.

"Anything I say will sound self-serving," said Beckett. "But we showed up ready for court with medical evidence from an independent laboratory. Results from Quest Diagnostics shows my blood glucose level is in the diabetic range."

Beckett was diagnosed as a borderline diabetic a few weeks after the accidents, when he fainted at his home and was taken to Desert View Hospital's emergency room.

"I had no prior indication I was diabetic," Beckett explained. "I was having some symptoms like night sweats, insomnia, trouble remembering and something like a slight dizziness. But I just thought I was pushing hard at campaigning. I thought I just needed a good night's rest. That's how it's always been."

In the event, Beckett's campaigning -- he was running for a district judgeship -- did him little good. In the aftermath of the arrests, he came in dead last.

Chairez said there are two kinds of tests for the level of alcohol in a person's system. "There's a breath test and a blood test."

He explained the breath test is inaccurate with diabetics because the equipment used in the field for testing can't distinguish between the molecules of certain gases that naturally occur in a diabetic's breath and those caused from drinking alcohol.

"I was not drunk," said Beckett.

The first crash occurred about 1:30 p.m., when Beckett rolled his county-issued SUV just south of Shoshone, Calif. He was on his way to Santa Barbara to attend a Bar convention. His wife and daughters were already there, vacationing with the childrens' grandmother.

"The Highway Patrol trooper in Inyo County said there was no indication of alcoholic involvement," said Beckett. "One minute I was driving and the next thing I knew, I was rolling in the desert. I thought, 'Wow, what happened?' I felt very grateful that I walked away from it."

Although he still felt shaken, after the tow truck driver dropped him back at his home in Pahrump, Beckett got back on the road in his family's van. "We were all excited about this trip," he said. "I couldn't disappoint them. I admit I stopped in Shoshone to settle myself and had a beer and a little snack. I admit it. It was one of those 16-ounce beers. Then I proceeded on my way.

"Then, all of a sudden I started feeling fuzzy again. I should have pulled over. I was having trouble concentrating and controlling the vehicle. I was reckless."

The second crash occurred at 7:35 p.m. about 35 miles south of the first accident scene. The California Highway Patrol officer who responded to the second crash reported smelling alcohol on Beckett's breath.

"I kept telling the trooper I wasn't drunk," said Beckett. "These were some pretty violent rollovers. I was hurt. I told him my equilibrium is off. I kept telling him, 'I am not drunk.' The trooper was very professional and courteous. He asked me if I had diabetes. I said no because I had no idea I had that condition.

"He asked me if I would take a Breathalizer test and I said I would. I didn't have to say yes, but I wasn't drunk. I should have pulled over, but my whole motivation was to meet my family. I had hit my head pretty hard the first time and then I hit my head a second time."

"The van was flattened. It was creamed. It was like a sardine can. The roof was caved in and the chassis was buried in the sand and dirt. The doors wouldn't open. But the main thing, and I am so grateful for this, is that no other vehicles were involved and nobody else was hurt," said Beckett.

"I am still dealing with the consequences on a personal and financial basis. Some people may think I've suffered no consequences, but there has been a lot to this."

Beckett lost his bid for district judge in the Aug. 12, 2008, primary election.

"I embarrassed my family and it compromised my position in the community. I also embarrassed the community and I am sorry about that. But it is over with, and for 49 years before this I haven't had any problems. And it's been nine months and I haven't had any problem. I just wasn't drunk.

"I have never had medical problems. I've never been to a hospital or had health issues for my whole life until now. When the doctor said it sounded like a blood sugar problem, I got tested. I've lost about 25 or 30 pounds and I am eating healthier and exercising. I am 50 years old now.

"It's time to move forward," he said. "My family and I are moving forward."