Updated Friday at 12:35 p.m.
Kansas City councilman and mayoral candidate Quinton Lucas was arrested early Friday morning in downtown Lawrence on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to Douglas County Jail records, Lucas was arrested just before 2 a.m. near 8th and New Hampshire streets. He was released on personal recognizance and ordered to appear in court in November.
Lucas plans to contest the DUI charge. He said had been drinking but fell asleep in his car after deciding not to drive back to Kansas City.
"I did not drive or operate a vehicle. It was in a parking spot; it did not move from a parking spot," he said in an e-mailed statement.
Lucas, a law lecturer at the University of Kansas, is the at-large councilman for Kansas City’s 3rd District. He lives near the city’s 18th and Vine district. He announced he was running for mayor in June, joining an already crowded field.
Lisa Rodriguez is a reporter and the afternoon newscaster for KCUR 89.3. Follow her on Twitter @larodrig.
