Judge rules Sen. Paul Campbell's breath test inadmissible in DUI case

The DUI case against Sen. Paul Campbell will move forward without results from a breath test, according to a judge’s ruling on Jan. 23.

According to state law, DUI suspects must be given additional testing when they request it. Campbell failed a field sobriety test and was taken to a Charleston County jail, where he blew a .09 into a DataMaster. At that point, Campbell requested a blood test.

The state trooper replied, “This is all we got,” according to a videotaped exchange obtained by The Post & Courier.

Campbell is being represented by Andy Savage, who represented North Charleston police officer Michael Slager. Magistrate Elbert Duffie denied Savage’s request to dismiss the charges based on the claim that Cambpell’s feet are not fully visible in the arrest footage.

S.C. Sen. Campbell (R-Berkeley) was charged with a DUI and with providing false information to authorities after rear-ending a woman in November. The woman told officers that she saw the 71-year-old state lawmaker and Charleston airport CEO switch seats with his wife.

An officer wrote that there was “a discrepancy as to who was driving the vehicle at the time of the collision.”

The 71-year-old senator told authorities that he was a state senator before being questioned.