Onyango Obama
Barack Obama’s uncle has been stopped on suspicion of drink driving after narrowly escaping a crash in Massachusetts.
Police said Onyango Obama, 67, was being held by immigration officials following his arrest on Wednesday about 20 miles west of Boston.
He is accused of ploughing through a stop sign, forcing a police officer to brake suddenly to avoid hitting his SUV (sport utility vehicle).
The police report said Onyango slurred his speech and became argumentative when stopped.
When asked whether he wanted to make a phone call to arrange bail, he said: “I think I will call the White House.”
Onyango, who is the half-brother of the president’s late father and originally from Kenya, was being held in custody on a detainer from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which said he had an earlier deportation or removal order.
Onyango pleaded not guilty on Friday to operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way.
Zeituni Onyango, the president’s aunt, made headlines last year when she won the right to live in the United States despite being denied asylum by an immigration judge in 2004. She had stayed in the country illegally but was allowed to remain after the courts decided she could be in danger in Kenya.