Drunk lawyer, Mistrial declared

Lawyer passes bar, apparently stops in
Mistrial declared; blood-alcohol test ordered for defense lawyer


LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- A judge ordered a blood-alcohol test for a defense lawyer who was slurring his words, then declared a mistrial after declaring him too tipsy to argue a kidnapping case.

"I don't think you can tell a straight story because you are intoxicated," the judge told Joseph Caramango as she declared a mistrial for his client.

Caramango, 41, acknowledged in court that he was drinking the previous night, but maintained he was not drunk. If convicted, his client faces life in prison.

"I don't believe I've committed any ethical violation," Caramango said Tuesday, disputing the accuracy of the breath-alcohol test. "If it proved anything, it proved I was not intoxicated."

Clark County District Judge Michelle Leavitt announced Caramango had a blood-alcohol level of 0.075 percent. Nevada's legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers is 0.08 percent.

In an exchange recorded by courtroom video, Caramango arrived about 90 minutes late for trial and was slurring his words.

The judge asked if anything was wrong, and Caramango said he suffered a head injury in a rear-end car crash while driving to court.

Leavitt said she was suspicious because details of Caramango's account varied.

Caramango also identified a woman who accompanied him to court as his ex-girlfriend, Christine. But when questioned by the judge the woman identified herself as Josephine. She said they met only about 20 minutes earlier at a bar and coffee shop.

Leavitt did not hold Caramango in contempt of court, and it was not immediately clear if he would face discipline by the State Bar.