MAYOR MADRID'S COMPANION PLEADS NOT GUILTY

Mayor Art Madrid's companion in his last February's highly publicised incident, pleaded not guilty to a drunken-driving charge.
Michael Richmond, an attorney for Trisha K. Turner, entered the plea on her behalf via fax.
A meeting between lawyers and the judge, called a readiness conference, is set for May 16, according to prosecutor Jennifer Kaplan.
The county District Attorney's Office charged Turner, 34, last month with one count of driving while under the influence. The charge came one month after La Mesa police, responding to a 911 call in the city's Eastridge neighborhood, found Turner and Madrid, 73, apparently intoxicated.
Turner, who works in the city's finance department, was in the driver's seat with the engine running and Madrid was lying on the sidewalk near the passenger door.
Police did not perform sobriety tests, instead drove them to Madrid's house a block away. That decision sparked allegations of special treatment and led the City Council to hire an independent investigator to look into whether police followed department policy that night.
The investigator – James Gardiner Associates, based in San Luis Obispo – is expected to submit a written report by the end of the month.
Madrid has not been charged with a crime. Turner, who was charged with one misdemeanor count, would face up to six months in jail if convicted. Defense attorneys have said first-time offenders usually get probation.