A high-ranking Catholic church official arrested last August in Kona for drunken driving had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal threshold for intoxication.
According to court records, Cardinal William Joseph Levada had a blood-alcohol level of .168 when he was stopped at about midnight Aug. 19 on Hina Lani Street in Kailua-Kona.
According to a police spokeswoman, Levada was driving a 2015 Nissan Altima and was alone in the car when he was pulled over after a patrol officer saw him swerve while driving northbound Queen Kaahumanu Highway north of Kealakehe Parkway.
Through his attorney, Levada pleaded no contest and was fined $300 on Jan. 25 in Kona District Court.
The 79-year-old Levada, who lives in Menlo Park, California, wasn’t required to appear at the hearing and was not present.
Levada’s driver’s license was revoked for a year and he was ordered to pay $162 in various fees in addition to the fine. He also was ordered to undergo substance abuse assessment and to follow any recommended treatment.
A proof of compliance hearing was set for 8:30 a.m. July 8. Levada will not be required to appear and his Honolulu attorney, Howard Luke, will be allowed to participate by telephone.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco said Levada was vacationing with other priests when the DUI arrest occurred.
“I regret my error in judgment,” Levada said in an email statement issued by the archdiocese following his arrest.
Levada, the former archbishop of San Francisco, was appointed as a cardinal, a prince of the church, on May 13, 2005, by Pope Benedict XVI, just weeks after his election as pontiff.
Levada was the first U.S. prelate to lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s powerful guardian of the doctrine. He now holds the title of Prefect Emeritus of the Conclave of the Faith since his retirement as prefect in July 2012.
He also was a member of the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
