Attorney for city of Beaumont fired over DWIs

The Beaumont assistant city attorney responsible for municipal prosecution has been fired following two arrests for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated in one weekend.

Beaumont City Attorney Tyrone Cooper fired Darrell Craig Vogel, 50,�on Nov. 17. Vogel had been employed as the city's prosecutor in Municipal Court since May 2004.

Vogel was arrested�in Beaumont�at about 11:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, and charged with DWI. He posted $500 bond and was released from the Jefferson County Jail early Saturday morning.

But he was arrested again on a DWI charge�at about 9:15 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, in Lumberton, where he resides.

Vogel was stopped as he was driving out of the Walgreens parking lot at the corner of Highway 96 and East Chance.

Employees at Walgreens had called police because they say he smelled of alcohol and had been stumbling in the store. He said he was there to fill out a prescription.

He posted a $750 bond and was released from jail on Sunday.

Vogel was given until 5 p.m. Monday to resign from his�position. When the city received no response from Vogel by that time, he was officially terminated.