Republican congressional candidate Jon Golnik was arrested in 2001 and accused of impaired driving on his way home from a rock concert, but denies an allegation in a police report that he admitted to smoking marijuana.
"I drank beers and drove," said Golnik yesterday. "I never smoked grass. I never smoked marijuana."
Golnik was arrested in Arlington on May 4, 2001, after attending an AC/DC concert in Boston. A police officer pulled Golnik over for driving with a flat tire near Route 2 and charged him with operating under the influence of alcohol and drugs and an equipment violation.
The drug charge was dropped soon after Golnik's arrest. In June 2001, Golnik did admit to sufficient facts on the drunken-driving charge and lost his license for 45 days in addition to paying court fees and taking mandated alcohol education classes.
Golnik, 45, of Carlisle is one of four Republicans running against incumbent 5th District U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas. The primary is Sept. 14.
Yesterday, Golnik acknowledged what he said was his first and only arrest, but denied ever admitting to police that he smoked marijuana, or that police found rolling papers in his possession that night, as is stated in the incident report.
Golnik was 35 at the time of the arrest. He said it occurred just several months after his younger brother was killed in a motorcycle accident.
"It's not an excuse," said Golnik. "It's an explanation for my state of mind at the time. It was very dark. My brother, I was very close to him."
Golnik was pulled over by an Arlington police officer while driving a 1997 Ford Explorer just after 11:20 p.m. He was shirtless, smelled of alcohol, and his speech was "extremely slurred," according to a police report.
Golnik failed several field sobriety tests before being arrested and later registered a blood-alcohol level of .18 during a Breathalyzer test, according to the report.
"While emptying his pockets at booking I found rolling papers," reads the report. "Golnik admitted to Sgt. Conroy and myself that he had smoked 'half a joint' of marijuana at approximately 6 p.m."
Golnik's lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., also references the marijuana charge in a sentencing memorandum written two months after his arrest.
"According to the police, rolling papers were found during the booking," wrote Carney. "The defendant admitted taking hits off a marijuana cigarette which had been passed along the row at the concert (but he is confident that the effects had worn off long before he left the venue)."
Yesterday, Golnik said Carney's remarks reference police allegations in the incident report.
"That's how I read that," said Golnik. "It just simply isn't true."
When asked why he didn't come out and speak about his arrest earlier in the campaign, Golnik said: "It happened almost 10 years ago. ... I didn't think it was going to impact this race."
"I've always let people know that I'm not perfect and I don't know everything," said Golnik. "It's not going to impact my passion and enthusiasm that I've brought to this race.
"All my successes and all my failures have made me the person I am. I think that helps me when I go around the district speaking to people."
The sentencing memorandum written by Carney describes some of Golnik's work history, included stints at AIG a decade ago and State Street Bank 13 years ago.
When asked if he has discussed working for the two recipients of federal bailout money during his campaign for Congress, Golnik said: "I don't think there's anything really to talk about. I was there long before people knew what a mortgage default swap was."
The Carney memo also describes Golnik's life at the time of his arrest as "an emotional roller coaster" that included more than just his younger brother's death.
"Another younger brother, Ben, who was studying on a fellowship in Russia, had to leave that country suddenly without his belongings when his roommate was charged with espionage and the State Department feared that Ben would be falsely implicated as well," wrote Carney.
Golnik's brother Ben is the head of the public affairs and public relations firm Golnik Strategies. According to the firm's website, Ben Golnik served in a senior position during John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign "overseeing all activities in six states, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho."
Later in the memorandum, Carney writes: "Jon's workload was increasing, and his brother Ben was informed that he had been tried in absentia in Russia and convicted."
Golnik said yesterday that was news to him.
"I'll be honest. I'm reading that just now for the first time," said Golnik. "There was no truth to any of the espionage at all. ... His roommate did have problems with them."
Golnik said the espionage allegations stemmed from a "quasi-Cold War incident" between the United States and Russia. After his brother Ben returned home for Christmas break, Golnik said the State Department suggested that he not return to Russia.
Carney went on to write that Golnik "fully accepts responsibility for his bad judgement" after his arrest.
"Jon has learned the lesson of a lifetime, and this court can be confident that it will not see him again," wrote Carney.
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