Santa Barbara Educator Arrested on Drunk Charge

UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Barbara S. Uehling has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, authorities said Sunday.

Uehling, 55, was arrested at 11:35 p.m. Saturday while driving on California 217, the main route connecting the campus to U.S. 101, the California Highway Patrol said.

Officials at the Santa Barbara County Jail said the chancellor was released at 2 a.m. Sunday after promising to appear in court to answer to the charge.

Uehling’s arrest marks the second controversy involving a chancellor of the beachside university in the last two years.

Huttenback Resignation

Robert A. Huttenback resigned as chancellor of the 17,000-student campus after a UC audit concluded he had misused $174,087 in university funds for home improvements from July, 1983, to April, 1986.

Huttenback and his wife, who have sued UC officials claiming they were defamed by the charges of wrongdoing, are also on trial on charges of embezzlement, insurance fraud and tax evasion that allegedly occurred during Huttenback’s tenure as chancellor.

Uehling, 55, was named chancellor on March 21, 1987, but was scheduled to officially assume the $110,000-a-year post on Wednesday after inaugural ceremonies.

It was unclear Sunday if the arrest would disrupt the planned inaugural. Neither Uehling nor university officials, who met on campus Sunday, could be reached for comment. Attempts to contact several University of California officials also were unsuccessful.

Before going to Santa Barbara, Uehling was chief executive officer of the University of Missouri.