Uncle of President Obama appears in court, is released on personal recognizance

By Brian R. Ballou and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

FRAMINGHAM - The uncle of President Obama did not speak today when he appeared in district court for a routine hearing on a drunken driving charge.

In a hearing that lasted just about two minutes, the attorney for Onyango Obama and Middlesex prosecutors agreed to continue the case until Nov. 17. Obama, a 67-year-old Framingham resident was arrested by Framingham police Aug. 24 on drunken driving and other charges.

Obama has pleaded not guilty. Framingham District Court Judge Robert V. Greco released him on personal recognizance today.

Before his case was called, Obama sat quietly in the front row of the courtroom. When his turn came to address the judge, he stood next to his attorney, Scott Bratton, with his hands clasped in front of him.

No description of the circumstances of his arrest was provided in court today. Obama and Bratton left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. The two men boarded a black SUV and drove off.

Following his arrest, Obama was taken into custody on an immigration detainer, but he was released Sept. 9 by the Bureau of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a public explanation of the agency’s decision. A spokesman told the Globe at the time that federal privacy laws ban officials from discussing individual cases.

Onyango Obama was the half-brother of the president’s late father. At the time of his arrest, Obama allegedly told Framingham police, “I think I will call the White House’’ to arrange bail.

Onyango Obama was ordered by immigration authorities in 1992 to return to his native Kenya. records show. However, he has lived in the Framingham area, working as a clerk at Conti Liquors here while living with a family in a modest wood-frame house on a residential street.

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.