Ex-Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins arrested on suspicion of DUI

By Sun staff

Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 | 5:48 p.m.

Former Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Collins, 65, whose full name is Clarence Weldon Collins, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center about 7:50 p.m., jail records show. The Clark County District Attorney's Office typically does not press charges in DUI cases until blood results are returned, which can take months.

Collins in August abruptly resigned from his seat on the commission, citing “family matters” that would leave him unable to serve his constituents.

The self-proclaimed “cowboy commissioner” was a former bull-rider and power-line installer who was popular with many of the residents who make up his largely rural district. He was blunt and often used profanity to get his point across, frequently clashing with other elected officials.

That likely led to his downfall.

His resignation came on the heels of a pair of profanity-laced emails he sent to county employees, including County Manager Don Burnette, that led to Collins’ account being blocked.

“I’ve been in a downward spiral for a couple of years; I admit it. I’ve done some rude things and some not-pleasant things,” he said in 2014, adding, “A lot of it is when there’s sarcasm or trying to turn pain to humor, however you want to take it. I have not treated my colleagues the way I should have.”

And this isn’t the first time he’s been in legal trouble. He had a pair of misdemeanor battery convictions in 1992 and a conviction for reckless driving.

“I fight for what I believe in,” he said of his battery convictions. “I used to be a rodeo cowboy. I’ve whopped, and I’ve been whopped.”