Idaho Republican senator charged with drunk driving

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho was arrested early on Sunday in a Washington suburb and charged with driving under the influence, police said.

An officer stopped Crapo in Alexandria, Virginia, after spotting a vehicle running a red traffic signal, city police said in a statement.

The senior senator from Idaho was "arrested after failing several field sobriety tests," it said.

Crapo was alone in his own car. His blood alcohol content was 0.11 percent, the statement said, above Virginia's maximum of 0.08 percent.

Crapo, 61, was taken into custody without incident and released on an unsecured bond of $1,000. He is due to appear in court on January 4.

Crapo said in a statement that he was "deeply sorry" for the incident.

"I made a mistake for which I apologize to my family, my Idaho constituents and any others who have put their trust in me," he said.

"I accept total responsibility and will deal with whatever penalty comes my way in this matter."

Crapo has served in the U.S. Senate since 1999 after six years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Idaho's 2nd district. He was re-elected to the Senate in 2010.

Crapo is a Mormon who has been quoted in the press as saying he abstains from drinking alcohol.

Known as a fiscal and social conservative, Crapo has a lifetime score of 80 percent from the conservative Club for Growth.

A graduate of Brigham Young University and Harvard Law School, Crapo is a member of the Senate Banking Committee and the chamber's budget and finance panels.

He was a member of the so-called "Gang of Six" senators that worked in 2011 toward a deficit-reduction deal that Congress failed to adopt.

(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/idaho-republican-senator-charged-drunk-driving-042728482.html

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