Paulsboro mayor asks for 'presumption of innocence'
W. Jeffery Hamilton was charged with driving while intoxicated and other offenses last month.
Nearly a month after his DUI arrest, Paulsboro Mayor W. Jeffery Hamilton has asked the residents of his town to give him "the presumption of innocence" until the matter is resolved in court.
Hamilton, the borough's mayor since 2011, was pulled over on Paulsboro Road in Woolwich Township just before 12:30 a.m. Dec. 20, after another driver reported a car driving erratically. Hamilton was arrested and charged with refusal to submit breath samples, driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain a lane.
In a letter to the South Jersey Times posted Monday, Hamilton briefly commented on the arrest, saying he would continue to fulfill his mayoral duties.
The letter begins: "I want you to be aware that the recent incident involving a motor vehicle stop and the issuing of a formal complaint(s) against me is personally very troubling."
"I have read much in the press surrounding the incident and am reminded of a quote by former U.S. Senator from New York State, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 'Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not their own set of facts,'" Hamilton wrote.
As it turns out, Moynihan, a four-term senator who served a number of other roles and died in 2003, was an early supporter of anti-drunk driving policies, according to One for the Road: Drunk Driving Since 1900 (though the senator's own drinking habits were sometimes noted by the media and political opponents).
A police video captured during Hamilton's arrest shows Hamilton repeatedly asking police officers to call Woolwich Mayor Sam Maccarone, saying the two were "very, very good friends." Maccarone told The Inquirer last week that the officers never called him that night, and said he was happy with how the matter was handled.
The case is scheduled for Feb. 11 in Carneys Point, Salem County.