July 5, 2012 – Los Angeles County prosecutors say they will not press criminal charges against former U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson in connection to two hit-and-run crashes in southern California's San Gabriel Valley.
"The district attorney's office has declined to file a case against former Secretary of Commerce John Bryson," the district attorney said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore had said previously that no alcohol or illegal substances were found in Bryson's system.
A district attorney's report said Bryson did test positive for Ambien, a prescription drug used as a sleeping aid. His tests showed "low end of therapeutic levels," but a criminalist could not say if it was a factor in the collisions, according to the DA's report.
Bryson resigned from his post last month after the Commerce Department said the crashes were caused by seizures. Police have said all along that they don't believe Bryson was under the influence of alcohol, but were awaiting blood test results before determining what to do with the case. Results of those tests have not been revealed.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Times.