ST. LOUIS (CN) - Vincent Bommarito resigned from the St. Louis City Board of Police Commissioners under fire, a week after he was accused of using his power to get his nephew out of a drunken driving problem.
Bommarito, 79, allegedly called a police sergeant on Feb. 13 after hearing that his 46-year-old nephew had been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
Police brought the nephew, allegedly without being charged, to Bommarito's restaurant.
The allegations prompted Police Chief Dan Isom to write a stern letter to the Police Board President, in which Isom said that it was not the first time Bommarito had tried to intervene on behalf of an arrested family member.
The phone call is another black eye for a department already reeling from scandals involving World Series tickets and towing. And it comes as lawmakers are considering whether to return control of the police board to the City of St. Louis.
The Missouri governor appoints four members of the five-person police board; mayor fills the other slot.
Bommarito's resignation puts Gov. Jay Nixon in position to fill two slots on the board. Board Member Julius Hunter's term expired in January.
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