Sen. Crapo Pleads Guilty To DWI Charge

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM




DAVID TAINTOR 10:01 AM EST, FRIDAY JANUARY 4, 2013

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) on Friday pleaded guilty to drunken driving during his arraignment at a Virginia court. He faces a suspended sentence of 180 days and a fine of $250.

Crapo was arrested Dec. 23 after failing field sobriety tests. He registered a blood alcohol level of 0.11 when he was pulled over. He later blew 0.14 during a second test.

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Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/sen-crapo-pleads-guilty-to-dwi-charge

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Crapo: ‘I Am Grateful To Have This Matter Resolved’

TOM KLUDT 10:26 AM EST, FRIDAY JANUARY 4, 2013

After pleading guilty to one charge of drunken driving on Friday, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) released a statement in which he expressed both regret and relief "to have this matter resolved."

Crapo was arrested by police in Alexandria, Va. on Dec. 23 after failing field sobriety tests. His blood alcohol level was 0.11 when he was pulled over and he later blew 0.14 during a subsequent preliminary breath test. In the statement, Crapo vowed to "work hard to regain the trust" of his family and constituents.

The statement:

I am grateful to have this matter resolved and will follow through on the sentence imposed by the court. I sincerely regret the choice I made because tragic consequences can result from combining drinking and driving. I am grateful that no one was injured. 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. I am also deeply appreciative of those who have reached out to me over the last few days with messages of encouragement, support and forgiveness. These words mean more to me and my family than they can ever know. I will work hard to regain the trust of my family and Idahoans.

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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/crapo-i-am-grateful-to-have-this-matter

[AllyCat]

1. Accepting responsibility/admitting fault?

He'll be kicked out of the GOP for sure.

[LynneSin]

2. If Crapo was a democrat he'd resign his seat...

but he's a republican so he'll stick around.

[Zambero]

3. We're lucky in Idaho to have such fine U.S. Senators

Such moral guardians of family values and responsible citizenry. First we have an outed closet gay and now an outed closet drunk. In an entrenched conservative bastion with a high % LDS population to boot, these individuals had no misgivings about living a lie while posturing as someone else altogether. I suppose in a state that's dominated by a single political party with "assured victory" come election time, this type of thing is to be expected.

[alp227]

6. Craig retired...so your state *had* Senator Wide Stance.

[Zambero]

8. True, but it's almost like he never left

Voters here keep electing pious Republicans, who do their best to "serve" in the "finest tradition" of Sen. Widestance. BTW, our 2-term Gov. Butch Otter is also an esteemed alumni member of tbe Idaho DUI club.

[Raine1967]

4. HE may want this resolved quickly to make it go away. Let me explain why:

This arrest happened about a block or two from my home. Here is a report from this morning:

After the hearing Friday, Crapo said outside the Alexandria City courthouse that he had been drinking a vodka and tonic at home the night of the arrest, but couldn't sleep and so went out for a drive, according to AP.

boldface mine.

My local patch , along with a few other sources said that he resides On Capitol hill. From this report on December 26:

Upon encountering the driver, identified as Michael Dean Crapo with an address in Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, the officer detected a strong odor of alcohol on Crapo's breath “which became stronger as he spoke,” according to the criminal complaint. The officer wrote that the driver exhibited slurred speech and described the driver’s eyes as “bloodshot and watery.”

“The driver indicated that he consumed several shots of vodka hours earlier and did not consume any more alcoholic beverages since,” the officer wrote in the report.

My Neighborhood isn't exactly right around the corner from Capitol Hill. I don't believe his explanation that he could not sleep. That required him to drive from SE dc over the 14th Street bridge, down route one and then a few side streets to get to Del Ray. OR -- going over the Woodrow Wilson bridge and drive north.

I think he was meeting with someone. He was given a breathalyzer at the scene and by the time he was taken to the Police Department, his blood alcohol level appears to have risen

Police have said Crapo registered a blood alcohol level of 0.11 percent when he was pulled over early Sunday in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Va., after running a red light. But a secondary test performed after Crapo was brought to the jailhouse -- the one that will be used in court -- registered at 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the arrest. The official wasn't authorized to release information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

From Capitol Hill to Del Ray with NO traffic lights it would take about 15 minutes to get here. He came to Del Ray as a destination, imo, as opposed to looking to get rid of insomnia. You can do a map search for Del Ray, alexandria and you can see what I mean.

[NBachers]

5. OK, so the juicy questions are: Who was he seeing, and for what purpose?

[olddad56]

7. He should have been charged with a DWS. (driving while stupid).