Updated: January 4, 2013, 2:07 PM
Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID) pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge on Friday during an appearance in a Virginia court. A judge ordered the senator to pay a $250 fine and gave him a suspended sentence of 180 days. Crapo’s driver’s license will be suspended for a year, and he must complete an alcohol safety program.
Police arrested Crapo on Dec. 23 in Alexandria, Va. He was pulled over for running a red light and police said he had a blood alcohol level of 0.11 at the scene. Crapo blew 0.14 during a second test at the jail, according to the Associated Press. The traffic citation Crapo received for running the light was dropped Friday.
Outside the court, Crapo reportedly said he was drinking vodka tonics when he became “restless” and decided to take a drive. He said it was the first time he had done so. Alexandria police denied TPM’s requests for arrest records. But according to court documents reported by The Washington Post, Crapo’s eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred at the time of the arrest.
In a statement released by his office after the guilty plea, Crapo said he was “grateful” to have the issue behind him and vowed to “work hard” to regain the trust of Idahoans and his family.
“I am profoundly sorry for the pain and embarrassment that I have brought to my family, to Idahoans, to my church, to my colleagues in the U.S. Senate and my staff, to anyone who has placed their trust in me,” he said in the statement.
A former Mormon bishop, Crapo previously claimed he abstained from drinking alcohol in accordance with his faith. In the statement, he admitted to keeping alcohol in his apartment to “relieve stress” and realized that his alcohol consumption placed him “at odds with my personally-held religious beliefs.”
“As a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is well-known for its standards against consumption of alcohol, I have endeavored for the majority of my life to be an upstanding representative of my faith,” Crapo said.
“My mistake in using alcohol in recent months has therefore brought additional embarrassment and shame to me, my family and other church members who care about me. I will carry through on the appropriate measures for repentance, and I ask all of you for your forgiveness.”
