Don H. Dwyer Jr. (born February 11, 1958) is an American former politician and former member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

. He served the 31st District of

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, wh ...

from January 8, 2003, to January 14, 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Dwyer is known for his conservative positions on certain issues, including outspoken opposition to

same-sex marriage in Maryland Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Maryland since January 1, 2013. In 2012, the state's Democratic representatives, led by Governor Martin O'Malley, began a campaign for its legalization. After much debate, a law permitting same- ...

. He was reelected by 25 votes in the November 2006 election and reelected again in 2010. He was defeated in the June, 2014 Republican primary, thought to be largely due to his legal troubles. Since 2017, Dwyer has lived in Clearwater, Florida. Dwyer chairs the Board of Supervisors for the Clearwater Cay Community Development District.

Alcohol-related legal issues

Dwyer has admitted to drinking on a "pretty regular" basis, beginning at the end of the 2011 legislative session. He has also spoken of attending counseling sessions and

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

meetings to cope with alcohol dependency. On August 22, 2012, Dwyer was operating a motorboat on the

Magothy River The Magothy River runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 through Anne Arundel County in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located south of the Patapsco River ...

when he collided with another vessel, seriously injuring himself, John Moran IV, his companion and former police officer, and five others. Among the others injured were three children, including a 5-year-old girl who fractured her skull. Dwyer's

blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes. BAC is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume of blood. In US and many i ...

tested three times the legal limit of 0.08. He admitted to operating the boat under the influence at a news conference held outside Maryland Shock Trauma, adding that he regretted his actions. On August 6, 2013, Dwyer pleaded guilty to the charges but appealed his 30-day jail sentence. While he was appealing, early on the morning of August 20, 2013, Dwyer was pulled over by an

sheriff's deputy in his 2001

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for suspected intoxication. After showing signs of alcohol intoxication, failing field sobriety tests, and refusing a to submit to a

breathalyzer A breathalyzer or breathalyser (a portmanteau of ''breath'' and ''analyzer/analyser''), also called an alcohol meter, is a device for measuring breath alcohol (drug), alcohol content (BrAC). It is commonly utilized by law enforcement officers ...

examination, he was arrested and transported to the Eastern District for booking. He was again found guilty and received an additional 30-day sentence for that offense, for a total of 60 days in jail. He did not resign his seat. Dwyer claimed his drinking that led to the boat accident was a result of marital problems and feeling betrayed by fellow lawmakers who supported legislation in favor of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

in Maryland. Dwyer said "I felt a tremendous amount of pressure in my family. You take those personal issues ndadd betrayal on the professional side, and it really gets to be overwhelming."

Political fundraising

At a May 2013 fundraiser for his political campaign, Rep. Dwyer hosted an auction of

assault weapon In the United States, ''assault weapon'' is a controversial term applied to different kinds of firearms. There is no clear, consistent definition. It can include semi-automatic firearms with a detachable magazine, a pistol grip, and sometime ...

s during a "Gun Rights and Liberty BBQ".

Election results

*2002 General Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 31 ::Voters to choose three: : *2006 General Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 31 ::Voters to choose three: : *2010 General Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 31 ::Voters to choose three: : *2014 Republican Primary Election for Maryland House of Delegates – District 31B ::Voters to choose two: :

References

External links

Delegate Don Dwyer
(archived fro
the original
on January 11, 2016)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Don H. Jr. Living people 1958 births Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates American Presbyterians Politicians from Annapolis, Maryland People from Glen Burnie, Maryland Maryland politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly