Atlantic Beach mayor arrested on DUI

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce Sturdivant says her DUI arrest is another false allegation.

The 62-year-old mayor was arrested Sunday in Conway after police said they got a call about an SUV being driven erratically.

Sturdivant maintained her innocence as she was released from jail on a personal recognizance bond following a hearing Monday. The mayor said she doesn’t drink and authorities are always trying to make Atlantic Beach look bad.

She has had other brushes with the law. Sturdivant is serving probation on resisting arrest conviction in a Christmas Day, 2007, incident. Another DUI charge was dismissed two years ago after breathalyzer and urine tests were negative.

Last July, a prosecutor dismissed a charge of leaving the scene of an accident in a 2009 hit-and-run.