Friday, January 4, 2013

Idaho Republican Sen. Michael Crapo apologized for his actions after pleading guilty Friday to a misdemeanor first-offense drunken driving charge in a Virginia court.

In exchange for his plea Friday, prosecutors dropped a charge of failing to obey a traffic signal. Crapo received a $250 fine and a 12-month suspension of his driver's license and must complete an alcohol safety program.

Police said Crapo was pulled over Dec. 23 for running a red light and registered a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

After the hearing, Crapo said he had been drinking vodka and tonic at home, couldn't sleep and went out for a drive.

He had been driving for about 30 minutes when he realized he was in no condition to drive and started to return home. It was then that he ran a red light and was pulled over.