Travis Armstrong, the contentious voice of the NewsPress editorial pages, was fined $1,600 and sentenced to four days behind bars for driving the wrong way down Santa Barbara Street one Saturday night four weeks ago; at the time, his blood alcohol level was 0.23, which is nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.
Armstrong was placed on three years probation and has been required to sign up for a nine-month stint in a school for drunk drivers. In addition, Armstrong’s driver’s license was suspended for four months. Although Armstrong was sentenced to four days in jail, he has the option to serve that time doing community service. Prosecutors stressed that Armstrong received no special consideration because of his political prominence as a prominent columnist and editor of the News-Press editorials.