Woman in Mayor Barry Arrest Delays Her Drunk-Driving Plea

An attorney for the woman who helped the FBI arrest Washington Mayor Marion Barry on a cocaine charge said Friday he expects her to plead no contest to a drunk-driving charge in Van Nuys early next month.

Hazel Diane Moore, 38, who also uses the name Rasheeda Moore, was not present in Van Nuys Municipal Court when her attorney, Ronald J. Lewis, asked that her arraignment on the charge be postponed until March 2.

Moore was arrested by Los Angeles police on New Year’s Day in North Hollywood for driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.1%, above the state’s new legal limit of 0.08%. The standard sentence for a first-time conviction for driving under the influence is three years probation and a fine of about $800, along with required attendance at an alcohol program and driver’s license restrictions, Deputy City Atty. Richard A. Schmidt said.

Moore, a former model who told officers she lives in Burbank, last month lured the Washington mayor to a hotel room where he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of possessing cocaine.

Lewis said he believes Moore is in Southern California with her three children.

He described her as concerned and upset about the charges and the situation with Barry and said she is “holding up fine.”