Cody Mayor Lee Ann Reiter has been placed on probation for driving drunk last summer.

Reiter had been pulled over by Cody police in July and served parts of three days in custody before being released on bond.

At a Monday morning appearance in Park County Circuit Court, the mayor pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving while under the influence of alcohol. She acknowledged having a blood alcohol concentration that was more than twice the legal limit at the time of her arrest.

“I understand the gravity of this situation, and there have been many lessons learned,” Reiter told the court.

With it being Reiter’s first offense, the Park County Attorney’s Office offered a deferred prosecution, which means the DUI charge will be dismissed if she successfully completes six months of unsupervised probation and pays $270. Two other misdemeanor citations related to alleged turning violations were also dropped as part of the plea deal.

Reiter’s attorney, Brigita Krisjansons, called it “a fair and just resolution” to the case. Krisjansons told the court that her client took the incident seriously, including by engaging in counseling.

“I know this has been a difficult and embarrassing situation for Ms. Reiter,” Krisjansons said. “From my view, she handled it with grace and humility.”

Park County Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah accepted the arrangement at Monday’s hearing and wished the mayor luck.

“I know this was probably embarrassing for you in the position that you’re in, but also when you’re in that position, you have to be an example,” Darrah said, adding, “maybe this can end up being a positive thing for people in the community.”

DUI arrest

It was around 2 a.m. on Saturday, July 19 that a City of Cody police officer noticed Reiter’s truck “oscillating within its lane” on Rumsey Avenue and driving “abnormally close” to some parked vehicles, charging documents say. Officer Tanner Wichern then saw the truck fail to signal a righthand turn and turn too wide onto Sheridan Avenue.

After being pulled over, Reiter reportedly admitted to consuming alcohol and Wichern asked the Park County Sheriff’s Office to take over the stop “to avoid any possible conflict of interest,” Deputy Chris Aldrete wrote in an affidavit.

The document says Reiter was unsteady on her feet, failed sobriety tests and was arrested. A breath test administered at the Park County Detention Center around 3:18 a.m. put her blood alcohol concentration at 0.19%, above the legal driving limit of 0.08%.

She spent that day and the next in jail before being released early on Monday, July 21.

Deal seen as an ‘opportunity’

During the seven months that her case was pending, Reiter had no issues on bond.

She’ll be under many of the same conditions over the next six months of probation, including standard requirements to abstain from alcohol, stay out of bars and obey the law. The mayor also cannot associate with people who are possessing or consuming alcohol, though an exception was made for official functions where alcohol is served.

“I doubt there’s going to be an issue,” said Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Eichele.

Judge Darrah made a point of saying the limitation was not intended as a punishment.

“I don’t think this is a big risk for you, but some people, it is a temptation if they hang out with other people” with alcohol, Darrah explained.

In her remarks on Monday, Reiter expressed appreciation to the court and the county attorney’s office for the deferred prosecution, calling it an “opportunity to deliver on your expectations.” She said she’s looking forward to “moving productively forward.”

Krisjansons said her client was also thankful for the support she’s received from the community.

As the roughly 12-minute hearing came to a close, Darrah said he hoped to “never, ever” see Reiter in court again.

“Absolutely,” she replied.