No jail time for Elena Ford so far.
A district court in Ferndale, MI accepted multi-millionaire Elena Ford’s guilty plea for driving while intoxicated while her son – under 16 years old – was in the new silver Ford Explorer she was weaving up Woodward Avenue.
Judge Joseph Longo sentenced the Ford Motor Company heiress to 24 months of probation and a 93-day jail sentence that is deferred if Elena Ford does not violate her probation.
Elena Ford, 44, of Birmingham, MI and New York City told the judge “This is a complete embarrassment to my family, especially having my son in the car. “I embarrassed my friends and the people I work with,” she said.
Elena Ford was arrested on 3 April 2011 in Ferndale for operating her company-owned Ford Explorer while under the influence of alcohol with her 11-year-old son in the backseat. She registered 0.14 on alcohol tests at the station, which is well beyond the legal threshold of 0.08.
Elena Ford must perform 240 days of community service and pay $1,518 in fines and court costs. However, she retained custody of her son, which was part of a previous divorce settlement.
Ford is the great-great granddaughter of Henry Ford and the granddaughter of Henry Ford II. Ford earned a bachelor’s degree in Business from New York University.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
