Ferryman faces two charges

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- The Orange County district attorney has charged

Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee Jim Ferryman with two

criminal misdemeanors in connection with driving under the influence of

alcohol, officials said Friday.

Prosecutors have charged Ferryman, 53, with one count of drunk driving

and a second one that states he had a blood alcohol level of more than

.08, the legal limit, said Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange

County district attorney’s office.

“He also had a prior DUI that happened 30 years ago,” she said, though

exact details of that arrest were unavailable.

As of late Friday, officials did not have information on what

Ferryman’s exact blood alcohol level was at the time of his arrest. He

took a blood test, the results of which were submitted to the district

attorney about two weeks after the incident.

If convicted, Ferryman faces up to six months in prison and a $1,000

fine. He could by law, however, remain on the school board despite a

conviction. Ferryman did not return calls Friday.

He was arrested Sept. 27 on suspicion of driving under the influence

after he was involved in a collision on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

He and another driver collided as they were heading northbound and

trying to merge into a single lane because of construction, Costa Mesa

police officials said.

During Tuesday’s school board meeting, Ferryman, for the first time,

spoke in public about his arrest and its aftermath, saying he had

rejected the possibility of resigning.

“I’m obviously very deeply regretful of my poor judgment,” he told

board members, district officials and others present at the meeting.

“I pledge this will never happen again. I understand I must face the

consequences. I certainly don’t condone my actions, but I offer to you

that I am human and I made a mistake.”

Ferryman said he considered resigning from the school board but was

asked not to do so by his supporters in the community.

“After consulting staff, my fellow board members and many, many, many

other members of the community who unanimously urged me to stay, with the

exception of [fellow board member] Mrs. [Wendy] Leece, I have made the

commitment and the decision to stay on the board,” he said.

Leece has suggested Ferryman resign if he is found guilty of the

charges.

Ferryman called the arrest and the events following the incident “a

personal matter I’ve been dealing with and facing all of the

ramifications head on.”

“I hope the community will be supportive of me finishing my term [on

the board],” he said.

Ferryman is a 39-year Costa Mesa resident and a respected member of

the community who received the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Man of the

Year award in 1992.

A graduate of Costa Mesa High School, he has been involved with

several community organizations, including Costa Mesa and Newport Harbor

Lion’s Club, the Harbor Area Girls Club and the Mesa Del Mar Homeowners

Assn.

He also has held various positions with the Costa Mesa Chamber of

Commerce.

Board member Dave Brooks said Friday that Ferryman should remain on

the board even if convicted of the alleged misdemeanors.

The charges “have not changed my views on the issue at all,” he said.

Ferryman “is an excellent board member. He does so much for the

community.”

Other board members could not be reached for comment Friday.

Ferryman will be arraigned later this month on the charges.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .