Democrat Texas House candidate Brittany Black wants voters to know she pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and drunken driving.
Last week, Black sent Texas Scorecard a formal demand for retraction and correction following a report detailing her extensive history of encounters with law enforcement in Illinois.
Among her objections, Black says Texas Scorecard incorrectly described her as having a felony cocaine conviction stemming from a 2006 incident in which she led police on a 120-mph high-speed chase.
A distinction Black wants made clear is that she pleaded guilty to the felony cocaine possession charge but ultimately avoided a judgment of conviction after completing first-offender probation.
The circumstances leading to that guilty plea are not among the facts Black disputes.
According to police records, an officer clocked Black driving 86 mph in a 65-mph zone in April 2006. Rather than pull over, Black accelerated, passing vehicles in both lanes as the pursuing officer reached speeds of 120 mph.
The pursuit continued until Black’s vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a ditch.
After the crash, another officer searched Black’s vehicle and found a straw with white residue in her wallet.
Laboratory testing subsequently confirmed the residue on the straw was cocaine.
Texas Scorecard originally reported that officers discovered a bag containing white powder along with a straw containing residue.
Black says that description is inaccurate: the cocaine residue was on the straw, which police then placed into an evidence bag.
Black was charged with two Class 4 felonies—aggravated fleeing from police and possession of a controlled substance—along with driving on a suspended license and speeding.
She pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance.
But, as Black now emphasizes, she was placed into Illinois’ first-offender probation program, with the court withholding judgment. After completing the terms of her probation, it was terminated in 2009.
Black has a similar objection to Texas Scorecard‘s description of her 2012 drunken driving case, which she also pleaded guilty to after failing field sobriety testing and registering a blood alcohol concentration of .21—more than twice the legal limit.
Police also reported finding an open container of whiskey in her vehicle.
She does not dispute that she pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. Rather, Black says it is incorrect to describe the outcome as a DUI conviction because she received court supervision and the case was ultimately dismissed.
Black is the Democrat nominee challenging Republican State Rep. Keresa Richardson in House District 61.
Her demand, meanwhile, leaves several key facts undisputed: Black led police on a chase reaching 120 mph, crashed into a ditch, was found with cocaine residue, pleaded guilty to felony cocaine possession, later drove with a .21 blood alcohol concentration, and pleaded guilty to DUI.
She would simply like voters to know that the cocaine was on a straw, not in a bag.
