LEWES, Del. (December 19, 2012)--Former ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson is facing a drunken driving charge the southern coastal town of Lewes, Del.

Police say Donaldson, 78, was stopped on Dec. 1 for a traffic violation.

The officer who made the stop determined Donaldson had been drinking and gave him field sobriety tests, police said.

Donaldson was arrested for driving under the influence and later released.

A phone call to his home in McLean, Va., was not immediately returned.

McLean is about 110 miles west of Lewes.

Donaldson was twice chief White House correspondent for ABC News, covering Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

He also co-hosted "PrimeTime Live" with Diane Sawyer and the ABC News Sunday morning broadcast "This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts."