Mississippi Sen. Michael McLendon, R-Hernando, speaks on the phone at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., March 6, 2023. McLendon said in a statement Tuesday, July 16, 2024, that a DUI charge filed against him in Alabama in 2023 had been dropped, and court records reviewed by The Associated Press showed that a judge issued the decision Friday, June 12. JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi lawmaker said Tuesday that he has been cleared of a DUI charge brought against him last year in Alabama.
Republican Sen. Michael McLendon of Hernando was arrested on June 5, 2023, near Foley, Alabama, after law enforcement officers said dispatchers received a call about a reckless driver heading southbound on U.S. Highway 98. The charge was for the possibility of driving under the influence of both alcohol and another substance.
Court documents reviewed by The Associated Press on Tuesday show that District Judge George Elbrecht issued a one-page order dismissing the misdemeanor charge against McLendon on June 12, just over a year after it was filed. “This experience reaffirms the importance of setting a positive example both in my personal and professional life,” McLendon, 60, said in a statement Tuesday. “I have a stronger understanding and a greater appreciation for our judicial system.”
McLendon has been in the Mississippi Senate since 2020. His district is in DeSoto County in the state’s northwestern corner.