DOVER — At the time of his arrest last year, Paul Clement, now 82, told police he had been drinking at a local bar and "blacked out" when his vehicle fatally struck Brig. Gen. John Pogorek in Rochester, court documents show.

Very different pictures were painted by the opposing attorneys during opening statements of Clement's trial Nov. 17 in Strafford County Superior Court.

Assistant County Attorney Walter Ramos noted Clement had been drinking at Club Victoire in Rochester on July 8, 2024 and drove drunk, stating test results show he had a blood alcohol concentration of .123, well above the legal limit.

Defense attorney Andrew Cotrupi made the case Clement was not drunk, but instead was suffering from hyponatremia, very low sodium levels, causing balance and confusion issues. He s

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