If he’s not in a bar, he’s behind ‘em

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- Surpassing the century mark in nearly any field or

category is considered an accomplishment.

But not when you have been arrested 100 times for the same offense -- in

one city.

Dating back to 1985, Newport Beach police have consistently encountered

the same weather-beaten face covered with sun-drenched locks sitting in

the doorways of stores along the peninsula. Sometimes he is belligerent;

other times, he can be charming. Either way, he is usually stone drunk.

This is the story of Mark David Allen.

Only 38 years of age, Allen has amassed an astonishing record of public

intoxication arrests in California and Hawaii. Over a 15-year period,

Newport Beach police have arrested him 106 times, a dubious distinction

that has landed Allen the title of the city’s “All-Time Leader in

Arrests.”

“No one has come close,” said Newport Beach police Sgt. Mike McDermott.

“We’ve had a couple of guys who racked up a lot of arrests, but nothing

like this that we can remember.”

Allen could be dismissed as a hopeless case, a degenerate alcoholic that

has been bounced from jail to halfway houses and back onto the street.

But those who have dealt with Allen want to intervene before the booze

takes his life.

It hasn’t worked before. And, it might not now. They know the road to

sobriety starts with himself.

“He’s got more than a problem,” said Stephen Bartol, a deputy public

defender who represents Allen. “We are going to try our best to see if we

can get him in a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

“In most cases, the people who are ready to get recovery do. Those who

aren’t ready don’t.”

No one really remembers when Allen took his first drink -- only that his

stepfather died from a bout with alcoholism. Allen grew up in Newport

Beach, attending Newport Harbor High School. His need to be near the

ocean is obvious, becoming a talented surfer at one point. He is also

handy with the brush, an amateur artist who likes to draw glassy waves

and sandy beaches.

Allen has survived multiple near-death experiences. He was involved in a

serious car accident when he was a teenager and several years later,

recovered from another traffic accident that required doctors to put a

steel plate in his head. He has been revived by paramedics after he

nearly drowned off the Newport coast.

He’s been known to pound an entire bottle of vodka and still remain

coherent. His blood-alcohol level has peaked well past .25 -- nearly

three times the legal limit -- and hasn’t stumbled.

“He’s a late-stage alcoholic,” said Allen’s uncle, Brad Elligood. “One

minute he’s real sharp, and the next he stares into space. I guess he

likes that style of life.”

Maybe the person who knows Allen the best is David Sperling, who

documented his life in an 18-minute short film that debuted at the

Newport Beach International Film Festival in 1998.

Sperling was inspired to film Allen’s exploits when he noticed the

frequency of his visits to Newport Beach City Jail.

Sperling has worked as a civilian jailer for several years.

“He’s sunk to a level most people haven’t seen before,” Sperling said.

“There is no one else to blame for his condition but himself. But you

can’t help but sympathize with him because what if you were in that

situation?”

Allen’s situation is a repetitive and often laborious one. Newport Beach

police officers have picked up Allen as many as three times in a 48-hour

period. This year alone, Allen was arrested on suspicion of public

intoxication on Jan. 12, Jan. 14, Jan. 15, and Jan. 20.

Allen is usually held until he is sober and released back into society.

Police say each time Allen is picked up, they must leaf through a pile of

paperwork they are required to file for every arrestee.

“He’s a major nuisance to handle,” McDermott said. “Here we are, trying

to solve a problem and 12 hours later, we have to deal with him again.

He’s not the kind of guy any police department wants to handle.”

The state of Hawaii reportedly wanted nothing to do with Allen. After

Sperling’s documentary, Allen was given a plane ticket to the Aloha State

by his two brothers who live there. His siblings had hoped Allen would

change his ways; he didn’t and was subsequently booted.

Allen hit the streets again and accumulated at least 85 arrests by

Honolulu police. They reportedly grew tired of Allen’s antics and bought

him a plane ticket back to California, where local police agencies have

reluctantly dealt with since.

What can be done for someone who has received assistance but repeatedly

succumbs to his demons? It calls for tough love from family members and

the judicial system, said Tony Fusco, program director at Sober Living by

the Sea, a Newport Beach recovery center.

“It takes a judge to mandate treatment,” he said. “People either comply

or go back to jail. But some people are comfortable with that lifestyle

of addiction.”

Judging by the number of Allen’s alcohol-related arrests, the grips of

the disease may be strangling him.

Fusco said lifelong alcoholics like Allen are hindered by the lack of

resources in Orange County. There are only a handful of licensed recovery

centers and many of them don’t have availability.

Those closest to Allen have repeatedly tried to help. They have offered

treatment, but he hasn’t been receptive. Family members have given him

money, but he has spent it on alcohol.

Sperling has updated his film, lengthening it to 39 minutes. He went to

Hawaii and caught up with Allen in Honolulu. It took Sperling only 30

minutes before he found Allen lying on a park bench. He hopes to show the

new version at the Newport film festival in March.

Allen appeared in court Wednesday, ready for one of his many

arraignments. He appeared sullen and sober, answering the judge when she

asked him if he was serious about kicking his habit.

He simply replied, “I’m serious, your Honor. It’s been way too damaging.”

A sham or a genuine reflection of his heart? Most of those who know Allen

have heard the promises before.

“Until he wants to get some help, he will keep on drinking,” Elligood

said. “We’ve tried, but he doesn’t want anyone’s assistance.”