The lawyer for Oxford Board of Education member Jerome “Jerry” Schwab said Friday it may take several weeks to get lab test results back in connection with Schwab’s arrest for driving under the influence.
Schwab was supposed to be arraigned in Superior Court in Derby on Friday, but his case was continued until Aug. 6.
His attorney, Dominick Thomas, said he asked for the continuance because urine tests results are still pending.
“We asked for the continuation and may ask for another continuance if they are not ready by the next court date,’’ Thomas said.
On July 3, Ansonia police arrested Schwab, 29, of Oxford, and charged him with driving under the influence, failure to drive right and failure to obey a traffic signal.
He was driving a 2007 Ford Expedition, which has a town plate and is insured by the town of Oxford. The vehicle is used by Schwab in his position as director of the Oxford Ambulance Association, which provides ambulance service to residents.
In an interview after his arrest, Schwab said he was having a bout of low blood sugar, caused by the medical condition hypoglycemia.
Schwab said he does not remember what happened before his arrest, due to his medical condition.
His blood alcohol content was zero at the time of his arrest, according to a Breathalyzer test.
Thomas said that since the test for alcohol was negative, they believe that the incident was caused from a medically related problem.
But a police report shows a different account.
According to the police report obtained Friday by the Valley Independent Sentinel, police stopped Schwab on July 3, at 1:09 a.m. after he went through a traffic light on Bridge Street and was observed crossing over the double yellow lines, also on Bridge Street.
He told police that he was just, “driving around,’’ and was going to meet a friend.
Police said they smelled alcohol on his breath and that his eyes were “very bloodshot.’’
Police said Schwab was slurring his words and was “having difficulty speaking complete sentences and completing his thoughts.’’
When police asked him if he had anything to drink, he said he had two glasses of wine at dinner at 8 p.m. and had taken two Vicodin (pain medication) at dinner. The pain medication was for a knee injury he sustained three months ago, the report said.
The report noted that Schwab failed sobriety tests performed at the scene. The report said Schwab lost his balance twice and swayed while balancing on one leg and that he put his leg down three times during the test. He was given one Breathalyzer test, which registered .000, according to the report.
Instead of giving Schwab a second breath test, police instead gave him a urine test that was sent to a state lab for analysis.
Police said Schwab was very cooperative and his attitude was good.
Police said that during the course of the investigation Schwab told police that he had “bumped’’ into a woman’s car.
“How was the lady that I hit?’’ he asked police. When police pressed him, he said he wasn’t sure what town he might have had the accident in, or where he had been driving for most of the night.
“Schwab also stated that it was not a good idea to drive while under the influence of his pain medication,’’ the report noted. Police said there appeared to be new damage to the left rear bumper and the right side door and mirror.
First Selectwoman Maryann Drayton-Rogers said the town has been monitoring the situation and are awaiting the test results. She said Schwab’s doctor signed a letter he was medically clear to drive the vehicle for the town.
Karsten Olsen, chairman of the ambulance association board of directors, did not return numerous calls seeking comment.
