Mobile councilman says ‘justice will be served’ in his intoxication case

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - City Councilman Ben Reynolds read a brief statement during the council’s Tuesday meeting but left without taking questions about his weekend arrest on a public intoxication charge.

The incident occurred at about 8 p.m. Saturday near the Boggy Point Launch Boat Launch in Orange Beach.

According to a law enforcement source, the operator of the vessel was Jeffrey Bartlett, 34, of Mobile. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency booked him in to the Baldwin County Corrections Center three minutes before Reynolds.

Bartlett faces four different offenses – boating under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel without a license, failure to turn on the navigation lights after dark and traveling too fast in a no-wake zone. According to court records, he refused to take a breath test.

Bartlett could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Reynolds was not at the council’s pre-meeting this morning. But he did attend the regular meeting. He read from a statement and took no questions.

“I would like to acknowledge a very difficult job our law enforcement officers are charged with,” he said. “The fact that many of their decisions have to be made in less-than-optimal situations. As I move forward in this process, and the judicial system is able to take a more deliberate, thorough view of the evidence, I am confident justice will be served.”

Bartlett has a bench trial set for next month on the boating charges. It is not yet clear when Reynolds may have a court appearance. The public intoxication charge is a misdemeanor.

---

Download the FOX10 Weather App. Get life-saving severe weather warnings and alerts for your location no matter where you are. Available free in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Copyright 2022 WALA. All rights reserved.