WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) — A Republican leader in the Oklahoma Senate faces a misdemeanor charge of being in actual control of his vehicle while intoxicated after a sheriff's deputy reported finding him asleep in his running pickup truck on a country road.
Sen. Bryce Marlatt was charged Tuesday in Woodward County after his arrest early Tuesday morning. He pleaded not guilty.
A Woodward County deputy reported knocking three times on the window of the truck to awaken the 37-year-old and smelling alcohol when the window was rolled down. When asked if he'd been drinking, Marlatt reportedly replied: "No more than anyone else."
Marlatt's attorney — Craig Box — said in a statement that Marlatt had taken a prescription sleep aid and had an alcoholic drink, but stopped driving when he became concerned about the effects.