State senator Paul Campbell was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and “giving false information to law enforcement” on Saturday night, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Campbell, who also serves in the state Senate’s transportation committee, was arrested after South Carolina Highway Patrol authorities responded to a call “after a vehicle was struck in the rear in congested traffic” on I-26 at 9:15 p.m.
Authorities said there was “a discrepancy as to who was driving the vehicle at the time of the collision,” presumably leading to the false information charges.
The lawmaker was administered a field sobriety test before registering a blood-alcohol level of .09 at the Charleston County Detention Center. The state’s legal limit is .08.
Campbell posted $1,457 bond for both charges and was released on Sunday morning, according to Charleston County court records. His wife, Vicki Campbell, was charged with giving false information to law enforcement but was released on the spot Saturday night.
Representing senate district 44, including parts of Berkley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, Campbell is a Republican first elected in a special election in 2007. He serves in a special panel tasked with examining the V.C. Summer plant debacle and had his contract as CEO of Charleston International — the state’s busiest airport — extended for two years in June, according to The Post & Courier.
That job nets him $225,000 annually, way beyond his state senate salary of $10,400.
A full police affidavit has not yet been released.
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