hyp·o·crite [hip-uh-krit]
–noun
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
[Origin: 1175–1225; ME ipocrite < OF < LL hypocrita < Gk hypokrits a stage actor, hence one who pretends to be what he is not, equiv. to hypokr(nesthai) (see hypocrisy) + -tés agent suffix]
Salisbury, MD
A state’s attorney who once prosecuted Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps for drunken driving has been arrested for the same infraction.Wicomico County State’s Attorney Davis R. Ruark was pulled over Friday night after officers observed him speeding and crossing the center line, Ocean City police said.
Ruark failed a field sobriety test, and a breath test later showed he had a blood-alcohol content greater than 0.08 percent, Maryland’s legal limit, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence, speeding and failure to keep right of center.
“This, by far, is the saddest day of my professional career,” Ruark said Saturday, according to The Daily Times of Salisbury. “I made a tremendous error in judgment.”He said he would try to get his case heard as soon as possible. In the meantime, he said he would not handle any alcohol- or drug-related cases that involve vehicles.
It was Ruark’s first drunken-driving arrest, and court records show no other run-ins with the law.
Ruark, a Democrat, has been state’s attorney in Wicomico since 1989. He is a member of the county’s Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council, and he prosecuted Phelps in 2004. The athlete pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and received 18 months’ probation. More >>