No wonder our state's budget is so screwed up...
We received a tip today via the Ogle Mole Network that Preston Doerflinger, the Oklahoma Secretary of Finance, Administration and Information Technology, was booked on a municipal complaint of "Actual Physical Control" at around 1:30 this morning.
The charge is very similar to a DUI. Basically, it's what cops throw at people who are over the limit and inside the vehicle, but not operating it. Or as this attorney who may get Doerflinger as a new client puts it:
Simply put, if you go to a bar, have too much to drink, and then decide to sleep it off in your car, you could be arrested and charged with APC.
Not only do you not have to drive the vehicle, the car doesn’t even have to be turned on or the keys in the ignition to be charged with APC.
If you're curious, here are more details of the law.
We located the log of Doerflinger's arrest in the OKCPD blotter. They cannot release the police report about the arrest until Monday morning, but we were able to get our hands on Preston's mug shot.
Here it is:
Doerflinger was appointed to his position by Governor Mary Fallin in 2011. We contacted Mary Fallin's office for comment, but they have not yet responded because they probably leave at noon on Fridays.
Prior to that, Doerflinger was the city auditor for Tulsa.
Here's more from his official bio:
Mr. Doerflinger was appointed secretary of finance and revenue by Gov. Mary Fallin on Jan. 19, 2011. He also serves as the director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), the state’s central finance and operations agency. Since joining the Cabinet, Doerflinger has become known as the governor’s top problem solver and a leader in her efforts to modernize state government. He is also the governor’s lead budget negotiator with the Legislature.
As director of OMES, Doerflinger is the State of Oklahoma’s chief non-elected finance, administrative and operations officer. OMES, formerly the Office of State Finance, is comprised of multiple former state agencies that were consolidated into one agency under legislation enacted in 2011 and 2012. As director, Doerflinger plays an important role in maintaining the broad focus of the newly-consolidated agency while also sustaining the core missions of each division. Doerflinger’s cabinet duties were expanded in summer 2013 to reflect the widened responsibilities of the newly-consolidated agency under the new cabinet position of secretary of finance, administration and information technology.
Prior to his appointment to state service, Doerflinger founded and served as chief executive officer of PLD Management, a business consulting and investment firm, in addition to founding several health care and supply companies. In 2009, he was elected city auditor of Tulsa. He received a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Southern Nazarene University.
Doerflinger has been a very visible member of Mary Fallin's cabinet since being named to the position.He received a $64,000 raise from the Governor this past July, which increased his annual salary from $108,000 to $171,833. I guess that's good for him, because alcohol-related arrests can get expensive. You have to hire an attorney, get a breathalyzer installed in your nice car, and then go to rehab.
We'll have more information on this when the police report is released on Monday.
