News

University President Faces 2 Drunken-Driving Charges in 2 Days

By Paul Fain

April 13, 2007

The governing board of the University of Mary Washington placed its president, William J. Frawley, on paid leave on Thursday, in the wake of his arrest on two drunken-driving charges on consecutive days, according to a written statement from the board.

The board’s move followed a bizarre series of events involving Mr. Frawley on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the statement and local news reports in Virginia, where the university is located, he was in a serious single-car accident in Fairfax County, Va., on Tuesday afternoon. A Fairfax police spokeswoman said a car driven by Mr. Frawley had gone off the road and overturned. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital after the accident, and the Fairfax police issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of driving under the influence.

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Mr. Frawley left the hospital early on Wednesday morning, reportedly against the hospital staff’s advice, and somehow made the 50-mile trip to the university’s campus, in Fredericksburg, Va.

Then, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, he was arrested at the university’s presidential residence, again on a driving-under-the-influence charge. According to news reports, the Fredericksburg police responded to calls by witnesses who spotted a green Toyota Camry that was swerving and missing a front tire, driving on a rim. Police officers tailed the car to the president’s residence, where a dazed Mr. Frawley emerged from the car with a bleeding forehead and was arrested.

The board said Mr. Frawley was admitted to Mary Washington Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. He remained at the hospital on Thursday morning, and was free on a personal-recognizance bond.

In the statement, the board members expressed “our deepest concerns and support for President Frawley and his family at this very difficult time.”

Mr. Frawley, who became the university’s president in July 2006, is also a professor of linguistics. He was previously dean of George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.