Negligent Driving

A Baltimore County man has entered a plea agreement on charges resulting from an alleged drunken-driving accident near Forest Hill in December 1990.Thomas C. Poole, 40, entered an Alford plea as his trial was about to begin in Harford Circuit Court Thursday, records say.By entering an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but agrees that the prosecution has enough evidence for a conviction.In the agreement, Poole says the state had enough evidence to get a conviction on charges of manslaughter by vehicle and driving with a revoked license.

The decision of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals' decision to reverse the manslaughter conviction of a drunken driver on the grounds of double jeopardy has its roots in the Founding Fathers' fear of the British bureaucracy, according to a law professor."

A former county police officer charged with drunken driving after crashing a marked police cruiser -- while he was still a member of the force -- was acquitted of alcohol-related charges yesterday.A Circuit Court jury deliberated less than 20 minutes before finding Edward E. McKenzie, 25, guilty of negligent driving, but not guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol. A charge of driving while intoxicated was thrown out by Judge Eugene M. Lerner after the prosecution concluded its case against McKenzie.