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Devon Horse Show chief says he was 'boisterous,' not drunk

He backed off a previous assertion that he had never been drunk in his life, but Devon Horse Show chairman Wayne Grafton insisted he was not intoxicated on the May night that he was cited for public drunkenness at the show grounds.

He backed off a previous assertion that he had never been drunk in his life, but Devon Horse Show chairman Wayne Grafton insisted he was not intoxicated on the May night that he was cited for public drunkenness at the show grounds.

Under a plea agreement, Grafton, 67, of Unionville, pleaded guilty Thursday morning to a charge of disorderly conduct and acknowledged acting in a "noisy, loud, boisterous, and unseemly manner" after a Horse Show event.

After the proceeding before District Judge Thomas Tartaglio in Tredyffrin Township, Grafton tempered an earlier comment that he had never been drunk in his life, clarifying that he was not inebriated "that evening." His attorney, Thomas A. "Buck" Riley, said Grafton's original comment had been "lost in translation."

Grafton paid a little more than $200 for violating the Tredyffrin ordinance that prohibits disturbing the peace. The charging officer, Thomas Spurlock, said police agreed to the plea agreement, under which the charge was changed from drunkenness, because it represented no difference in the severity of the offense.

"It's still a summary violation," Spurlock said. He was on traffic post during an event at the Horse Show in late May when a horse got loose, requiring rescue crews to help free the animal, stuck between a fence and trees, about 10:15 p.m.

Riley said Grafton also responded to the incident and asked police to get lights on the scene.

"He made a statement to the cops that he was annoyed [that the police] couldn't get lights. ... The adrenaline was high on everybody's part," Riley said. "He was loud, he was boisterous, got to plead guilty to that, but he was doing it in performance of his duties. But there was no alcohol, zero."

Grafton said his blood-alcohol level was not measured that night.

Spurlock declined to comment on Grafton's assertion that he was not drunk that night, but said he does not charge people with an offense "if I don't believe they committed it."

gtoohey@phillynews.com 610-313-8105 @grace_2e