SF archbishop admits lesser charge in DUI case
The new archbishop of San Francisco for the Catholic Church has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving after being arrested in San Diego on suspicion of drunken driving.
Correction
An earlier version of this story reported that "wet reckless" reductions were standard for first-time offenders. Instead, they are common under certain circumstances, prosecutors said.
U-T San Diego regrets the error.
Then-Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, 56, was taken into custody Aug. 25 after being stopped at a DUI checkpoint near San Diego State University.
He was scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court next week on misdemeanor DUI charges but instead pleaded guilty Monday to alcohol-related reckless driving, a lesser charge commonly known as a “wet reckless.”
A spokeswoman with the City Attorney's Office said the reduction is commonly offered in cases in which no bad driving is noted and suspects had fair to moderate performances on field sobriety tests, among other factors.
Cordileone was placed on three years’ probation and ordered to pay a fine. He also will have to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim-impact panel and a three-month first conviction program through the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
Cordileone, a San Diego native, was appointed archbishop in July by Pope Benedict XVI and installed to the seat Thursday. He had been serving as Oakland’s bishop. He is a former auxiliary bishop of San Diego and once served as associate pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in La Mesa.
After his arrest, he issued a statement saying he was stopped when driving his mother home after having dinner at the home of some friends. He said his blood-alcohol level was over the 0.08 percent limit for California drivers.
Court records show it measured 0.11 percent within three hours of the stop.
Cordileone apologized for his “error in judgment” and asked for forgiveness from his family, friends and co-workers at the Diocese of Oakland and Archdiocese of San Francisco.
He drew attention when he worked to qualify Proposition 8 for the November 2008 ballot. The measure, which voters approved, banned same-sex marriage in California.
