Prince George’s Co. councilman charged with DUI appears at meeting

WASHINGTON — Two weeks after he crashed a county-owned SUV, Prince George’s County Council member Mel Franklin has made his first appearance at a council meeting.

The veteran member of the county council is charged with driving under the influence in the Nov. 21 crash in which two people were injured. He rear-ended a vehicle at a traffic light on Route 4 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

At his first public meeting since the crash, Franklin joined his colleagues in a unanimous vote to create a County Vehicle Use Review Board. The panel will have power to recommend when a council member can have a vehicle taken away for reasons including violations and traffic citations.

Franklin has not had the use of a county vehicle since the November crash.

Among the charges Franklin is facing are negligent driving and failure to control speed. He’s awaiting a court date.

County council meetings typically open with an invocation and at Tuesday’s meeting, Franklin offered an intention.

“Continue to keep all of us in your prayers,” Franklin said.

Dick Uliano

Whether anchoring the news inside the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center or reporting from the scene in Maryland, Virginia or the District, Dick Uliano is always looking for the stories that really impact people's lives.

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