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Report: Frawley says he drank cough syrup

July 20, 2007 12:35 am

WEB EXTRA: Read the CRIMINAL COMPLAINT from Frawley's court file.

Former University of Mary Washington President William Frawley told a police officer he had consumed six bottles of cough medicine on the day of his April 11 arrest in Fredericksburg, court documents show.

The officer also smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, the police report states.

Frawley, 53, was charged in the city with driving under the influence and refusing a Breathalyzer test. He had been charged the previous day in Fairfax County with driving while intoxicated after flipping a vehicle owned by the UMW Foundation.

UMW's board of visitors fired him "for cause" at the end of April. His trial in Fredericksburg General District Court had been scheduled for yesterday but was pushed back until Sept. 18.

He's scheduled to appear in Fairfax General District Court on Sept. 21.

Fredericksburg Commonwealth's Attorney Charles Sharp said prosecutors requested the delay because they're still awaiting Frawley's blood test results subpoenaed from Mary Washington Hospital.

Sharp could not be reached yesterday afternoon, after The Free Lance-Star had reviewed Frawley's case file.

Hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Allenbaugh said MWH gets dozens of requests for medical records, such as blood tests, every day. "We are fully cooperating with the investigation," she said.

Phillip Sasser, Frawley's defense attorney in Fredericksburg, requested that the medical records be sealed, which he said a statute requires.

Frawley has stated that he was at the hospital for five days for the treatment of a serious heart disorder.

Sasser asked The Free Lance-Star not to contact Frawley about the case. "I'm not going to make any comment on the evidence or anything that's going to come before the court."

Sasser has subpoenaed UMW employees Nina Mikhalevsky and Amy Anderson, according to court records.

Mikhalevsky worked for Frawley at George Washington University's college of arts and sciences and was his first hire as president of UMW. She became the school's first-ever vice president for strategy and planning.

Anderson, who works in the president's office, reportedly saw Frawley enter his office the day of his Fredericksburg arrest.

Sasser would not comment on the subpoenas.