What you need to know:
- Former Palmer City Council member Richard Best was sentenced this week to three days in jail or under house arrest, a $1,500 fine, a 90-day driver’s license suspension, and other penalties after being convicted last month of operating under the influence in 2022.
- Best was arrested in October 2022 after failing a field sobriety test. His breath alcohol content measured 0.128 following an early morning traffic stop on the Glenn Highway.
- He resigned from the Palmer City Council earlier this year amid potential sanctions tied to the Anchorage case and an unrelated charge that was later dropped. He had previously pleaded guilty to refusing a chemical test following a traffic stop in Palmer.
ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage judge this week sentenced former Palmer City Council member Richard Best to three days in jail or under house arrest and a 90-day driver’s license suspension for operating a vehicle under the influence in 2022.
An Anchorage jury found Best guilty of operating under the influence following a trial last month. Anchorage District Court Judge Chris Darnall sentenced him on Monday.
Best will serve three days in jail or under house arrest in mid-March, according to Darnall’s order. He must pay a $1,500 fine, his license will be suspended for 90 days, and his vehicle will be impounded for 30 days. He will also be required to serve one year of probation, participate in the state’s Alcohol Safety Action Program, and keep an ignition interlock device on his vehicle for six months…