Prince George’s councilmember Jamel Ramon “Mel” Franklin was charged with driving under the influence.
WASHINGTON — A local progressive political group is calling for the resignation of Prince George’s County Council member Mel Franklin after his arrest last week on drunken driving charges.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Franklin was involved in two previous crashes while driving county-issued vehicles: one in October of 2012 that resulted in $1,500 in damage and a second in December of the same year in which the county vehicle was totaled.
In that crash which was not reported to the public, Franklin reportedly slammed into a Yukon GMC. The Post reported that crash was the result of distracted driving and that Franklin was changing the radio station in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Franklin was not cited in the incident.
Franklin has been stripped of his access to county vehicles.
In 2012, Council member Karen Toles, facing a charge of reckless driving, offered to surrender her access to county vehicles until she completed a “driver improvement course.” Instead, the council acted to bar her access to county vehicles according to a council statement “for her safety and the safety of others.”
via WTOP
***
