Ex-Mayor arrested for alcohol intoxication

Ex-Corbin Mayor Scott Williamson claims his arrest early Sunday morning for public intoxication was motivated by a “personal agenda,” though local police deny the claim, and has vowed to fight the charge in court
According to a police citation, authorities say they received a call of a drunken man walking on Gordon Hill Pike early Sunday morning. Corbin police officer Brandon White responded to the call and found Williamson walking along the road. In his report, White said Williamson was “very unsteady” on his feet, had “red, glassy eyes,” and nearly fell over several times before being arrested. A police report says Williamson was covered in grass and had a scrape on his arm where he had apparently fallen while walking.
But Williamson, who ended his term last year as Corbin’s longest serving mayor, disputes most of those claims.
“It was an opportunistic thing,” Williamson said. “It was a personal agenda there. It will come out. The truth will come out.”
According to Williamson, he was walking to a friend’s house from a cookout and gathering at “a state trooper’s house.” He said he’d had a few beers earlier in the evening.
“I’m not saying I was intoxicated at all,” he said. “I wasn’t staggering at all. I completely, completely refute that. Absolutely, unequivocally deny it.”
Williamson said he wasn’t given a field sobriety test. He added that a Breathalyzer test was inconclusive and officers said he was doing it wrong.
“I’ve never done a breathalyzer before, so I probably was,” Williamson said.
He said he requested a blood test to prove his blood-alcohol level, but one was never done. Williamson was never taken to jail after the arrest, but was instead transported to Baptist Regional Medical Center after complaining of chest pains. He said he’s had recent heart problems and that his medication was changed last week, causing some complications.
Williamson, who is now an executive director in the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services, resigned as Corbin’s mayor last September to take the position. He was mayor for almost 11 years. He first won election to the seat in 1994.
Williamson said he thinks the arrest was made as payback for a “past episode” involving White two years ago.
“I think there’s someone down there that has an agenda because of a situation that happened before on a speeding incident. I’ve even had people at the courthouse in Williamsburg tell me that there were comments made that he [White] would get me.”
Corbin Police Chief Carson Mullins denied the arrest was motivated by past issues and said he reviewed the arrest and found nothing improper and no evidence of wrongdoing.
“We were just responding to a call,” Mullins said. “I’ve reviewed the case .. the officer to my knowledge was just doing his job. Any allegations or anything like that, that’s why we have the court system.”
Williamson said the incident has been embarrassing to him and his family, but said he doesn’t plan to plead guilty to the charge. He is scheduled to appear June 7 at 9:00 a.m. in Whitley District Court in Corbin for a hearing on the matter.
In the end, Williamson said he walked because he wanted to avoid driving after consuming alcohol at the party. He said his position in state government would not be jeopardized by the arrest.