Red, White & Blue
Sen. Crapo speaks out about his drinking habits
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Jennifer Auh reports on Sen. Mike Crapo speaking out about what happened on the night he was arrested for DUI. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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Idaho Republican Senator Mike Crapo pleaded guilty to driving under the influence on Friday.
He will now lose his driver's license for a year and is required to take an alcohol awareness program. Prosecutors dropped one charge stemming from a traffic violation in exchange for his guilty plea.
After stepping out of the courtroom in Virginia, Crapo apologized for his actions seeking forgiveness from the public.
Senator Crapo said he wanted to come clean, revealing he started drinking regularly in the last year, due to work-related stress.
"Everybody back here is stressed, and what I did was a very poor choice on how to deal with that stress," he said.
On December 23rd, police in Virgina stopped Crapo, for running a red light, then arrested him for drinking and driving after failing a sobriety test. His blood alcohol was also above the legal limit.
"I had several drinks of vodka and tonic, probably two to three,” he said, “I got into my car alone and was not going to meet anybody."
The senator said he went out for about 30 minutes from his apartment in Washington D.C to Alexandria, Virginia, because he couldn't sleep.
His arrest shocked everyone, because of his clean record and religious convictions, as a member of the Mormon Church.
"I was already thinking in my own mind that this had to end,” he said, “but the process of repentance in our church is a private process. I will need to, in my opinion, speak to church leaders and get this resolved."
Sen. Crapo said no one knew about his drinking habit. "This is the first time I have gone out on the road, after drinking and I can assure you that as a matter of fact I am swearing off of alcohol," he said.
The senator said he has received support and encouragement from his family, and will take full responsibility for his actions.
Senator Crapo also talked about plans to use this incident to spread awareness and send the message to not drink and drive.
Crapo has now served in the senate for more than a decade. He said he plans to continue his work and will run again in 2016.
Here’s the link to his full statement: http://www.kivitv.com/news/local/185676151.html
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