Oklahoma finance secretary arrested on alcohol-related issue

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger says he is "deeply sorry" following his arrest by Oklahoma City police on an alcohol-related complaint.

Doerflinger was arrested late Thursday on a complaint of actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, The Oklahoman reported Saturday (http://bit.ly/1z3XKvR ). Records show Doerflinger was booked into Oklahoma County jail about 1:30 a.m. Friday and later released.

In a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Saturday, Doerflinger said: "I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment this has caused. It will not happen again."

Doerflinger would have no further comment on the case, said John Estus, spokesman for the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which Doerflinger heads.

Police officers arrested Doerflinger after responding to a call about 11:20 p.m. Thursday from a witness who reported seeing a distraught woman trying to get out of a vehicle, according to a police report. The caller said "it looks like a female is being held hostage in a black Range Rover," the report said.

Officers located the vehicle in a parking lot and identified Doerflinger as the driver. The woman in the vehicle told police she was just upset and was not being held against her will, the report said.

The officer reported Doerflinger had the odor of alcohol on his breath and seemed confused. He described Doerflinger's eyes as "red and watery," and said Doerflinger was unsteady on his feet.

Doerflinger later was given a breathalyzer test. The results were not immediately made public.

Doerflinger was appointed as Gov. Mary Fallin's secretary of finance in January 2011, and serves in the governor's Cabinet. The Office of Management and Enterprise Service's website says Doerflinger is the governor's lead budget negotiator with the Legislature, as well as the "governor's top problem solver and a leader in her efforts to modernize state government."

Fallin's spokesman, Michael McNutt, said the governor would have no comment about the arrest.

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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com