The Power of Influence (or Money)

In 2011, Alice Walton, the Wal-Mart heiress from Bentonville, AR was driving home from her 62nd birthday party in Fort Worth when she received a drunken driving citation (DUI) from a Texas State Trooper after being pulled over for driving 71 mph in a 55 mph zone in Parker County Texas.  She was booked and released on $1,000 bond. According to John Forest, the Parker County prosecutor, his office has two years from the date of the DUI citation to pursue (I assume that means prosecute) the case against Walton.  The Trooper who cited Walton was placed subsequently placed on a two-year suspension with pay for alleged misconduct.   His suspension will not be over by the October 7 deadline and thus will not be available to testify in the case.  Walton’s Fort Worth attorney, Dee Kelly, says the matter has been resolved without a formal charge being filed.

In 1998 Walton received a DUI in the Springdale District Court in Arkansas.  She was convicted of driving under the influence and hitting a gas meter.  Reportedly, she told the responding police officer, “I’m Alice Walton, bitch!”  She paid several hundred dollars in fines but received no jail time.

Walton was involved in a 1989 automobile accident in Arkansas that resulted in the death of a 50-year old woman.  No charges were filed.

Alice Walton was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the world’s most influential people of 2012.