Beer baron loses license for drunken driving

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- Beer baron Peter Coors' driver's license has been revoked by a hearing officer who ruled the executive had been driving under the influence of alcohol, officials said.

Hearing officer Scott Garber ruled Friday that Coors did not stop at a stop sign on May 28 and was driving intoxicated.

Coors, 59, said he had consumed a beer about 30 minutes before leaving a wedding, the Rocky Mountain News reported Saturday. He faces a July 20 arraignment and has 30 days to appeal the revocation.

"I made a mistake. I should have planned ahead for a ride," Coors said in a statement. "For years, I've advocated the responsible use of our company's products."

Coors' spokeswoman, Kabira Hatland, said Coors was charged with driving while under the influence. Coors' lawyer, Steve Higgens, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Hatland said that Coors rolled through a stop sign a block from his home in Golden and that an officer stopped him in his driveway.

In one breath test, he registered a blood alcohol level of 0.073 percent. In a second, 20 minutes later, he registered 0.088. In Colorado a blood alcohol count of 0.05 results in a driving while impaired charge, while a count of 0.08 results in driving under the influence.

Legal analyst Scott Robinson said drivers with no previous alcohol convictions are usually held to have driven while impaired, rather than the more serious driving while under the influence. A DWI finding can result in a loss of driving privileges for 90 days; DUI can result in suspension for a year.

Peter Coors "has never even had a moving violation," said Coors spokeswoman Kabira Hatland.

Coors took over as president of his family's company in 1987 and in 2000 was named chief executive of the brewer, with 8,500 employees and $4 billion in sales in 2003. Following a 2005 merger, it is now the Molson Coors Brewing Co.

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