A jury acquitted reporter Sam Donaldson of DUI charges after a five hour trial in Sussex County, Delaware. Donaldson was pulled over December 2012 in Lewes, Delaware after an officer observed him swerving into the shoulder of the road.
The officer administered a field sobriety test, which Donaldson was unable to pass. Donaldson was then charged and released without incident.
Donaldson's attorney, Eric G. Mooney, argued that balance-related sobriety test administered to people over 65 could not be used as admissible evidence in court. Delaware's police academy training states that seniors may have inherent difficulty standing and alternate methods of sobriety testing should be used. Missing information and inconsistencies in the police report were also attributed to the lack of evidence against Donaldson.
Sam Donaldson is a long time White House reporter for ABC news and has regularly covered major political party conventions since the 1960's.