New development in Kerry Burt case

WHO-TV in Des Moines has obtained the video tape featuring an Ankeny police officer and Representative Kerry Burt, the Democrat from Waterloo who is contesting the drunken driving charges which were subsequently filed after the traffic stop. (Burt, as you may know, also is among those cited in a recently-released state audit which concluded Burt used a relative's home address when registering his children for the Price Lab School at the University of Northern Iowa, thereby saving over $35,000 in tuition costs.) 

The video tape was recorded by a camera mounted on the dash of the officer's squad car.  The traffic stop happened at about two o'clock in the morning, back on February 11, 2009. 

WHO-TV's Dave Price will likely post more information on his blog soon.

UPDATE:  a few more notes.

Dave Price of WHO-TV gave viewers of the station's Monday night 10 o'clock news a bit of play-by-play of that night. 

"Do you really want to do this?" Burt is heard saying on the video tape. A bit later, Burt told the policeman that he "actually cannot be under arrest" because, Burt said, he's a state legislator. (That would be incorrect, btw.)

Later, Burt is heard on the tape suggesting this as he's trying to convince the cop not to arrest him. "It's not so much what I've been drinking, it's who I've been drinking with." As Price reported to WHO-TV viewers, the officer says at this point Burt whispered in his ear that it was the governor, Chet Culver, who Burt said he'd been drinking with earlier that evening. 

Price reported the governor's staff confirmed Culver attended an event at the Embassy Suites (a downtown Des Moines hotel) earlier that evening (an event which Burt also attended), but, according to Price's report, the governor's staff told him Culver was back home at Terrace Hill by 8:55 p.m. that night.  That's about five hours before Burt was pulled over.

Price also reported Burt tried to call House Speaker Pat Murphy to pick him up that morning after he'd been booked, but Burt got Murphy's voice mail.  

WHO-TV anchor John Bachman concluded the segment by telling viewers they had posted the entire video on the station's website under the "As Seen on 13" tab (but it's not there yet at 10:20 p.m.)