NEWPORT BEACH – California
A man arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after crashing twice within a city block is the chief executive officer of EZ Lube, an oil-change chain.
Mark David Goodman, 41, has not been charged with a crime since posting bail Tuesday afternoon.
Goodman, who was not injured, was arrested shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, after his 2009 Cadillac Escalade crashed into a psychic-reading business.
Goodman held senior executive positions at McDonald’s, Walmart and 1,200-store Save-A-Lot before joining EZ Lube recently.
On Tuesday, Goodman’s Escalade jumped a curb along East Coast Highway, knocking over a parking sign, and smashing straight into a knee-high brick planter at Directors Financial Group.
Goodman then apparently backed off the parking sign, and continued a block north, jumping the curb again, breaking another parking sign, scraping a palm tree, and continuing down a sidewalk before smashing into a bus stop bench and finally coming to a stop inside the Crystal Lotus, 3100 E. Coast Highway, in Corona del Mar.
Goodman did not return a call for comment.
Anita Marie Laurie, an EZ Lube spokeswoman, said, “I spoke to him and he said he’s just grateful that no one was injured.”
Goodman took his current job three months ago, when EZ Lube came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
EZ Lube, a chain of 85 or so oil-change shops based in Southern California, ran into financial troubles after two investigations found evidence that the company routinely defrauded customers.
In December 2007, EZ Lube agreed to a $5 million settlement with the Orange County district attorney to end legal action. The company paid $3 million toward the settlement, but declared bankruptcy in December 2008 before paying the rest.
EZ Lube is the latest stop for Goodman, who once ran U.S. strategy and operations for McDonald’s.
After McDonald’s, Goodman had stints as a top executive for two other companies.
For 14 months, Goodman was an executive vice president for marketing at Sam’s Club. Four months after he left, he got a job in April 2007 as chief operations officer for Save-A-Lot, where he stayed for 15 months.
Bottom line folks, do not drink and drive; you could kill someone and then end up in jail for a very long time.
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