Jodie Goldsworthy Gordon, president of the Allegany County school board, was charged with driving while intoxicated and negligent driving Thursday evening in Cumberland after driving her pickup truck into a concrete bridge with her friend's 11-year-old daughter in the passenger's seat, police said.
Gordon, who is up for re-election Nov. 7, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said last night.
The passenger, whose name was withheld because she is a juvenile, was picked up at the scene by her father.
Gordon received a blood-alcohol test - the results are expected in six weeks - and was released to the custody of a friend, pending a District Court appearance.
Attempts to reach Gordon, who lives in LaVale outside Cumberland, were unsuccessful last night.
According to Cumberland police, the driver was traveling south on Mechanic Street about 6:20 p.m. when she lost control of her vehicle, which jumped the sidewalk and struck a building.
She then veered back onto the street, crossed a double-yellow line and hit a portion of the Interstate 68 Crosstown Bridge, police said.
"This would just make us question her judgment," said Steve Benson, a spokesman for the county teachers union, which did not endorse Gordon this year. "We're glad she and her passenger are OK. But we have some deep concerns about her representing the community's views."
