Sen. Michael Crapo pleads guilty to DWI

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Sen. Michael Crapo pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of driving while intoxicated and then apologized for his actions and asked forgiveness from his constituents.

Crapo (R-Idaho) said nothing during a brief appearance in Alexandria General District Court, where he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor and was ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete an alcohol safety program. He also agreed to a 12-month suspension of his driver's license. The sentence is typical for first-time drunken-driving offenders in Virginia.

Outside of court and in a subsequent conference call with reporters in his home state, Crapo apologized and said he'd been drinking alcohol a few nights a week, in violation of the tenets of his Mormon faith.

Crapo said he tried alcohol for the first time about a year ago, though he couldn't remember the details. It was a misguided attempt to relieve stress, he said. The night of his arrest was the first time he had driven drunk, Crapo said.

"I was already thinking in my own mind that this had to end," Crapo said.

Crapo said he drank "several, probably two to three" vodka tonics at his Washington home on the night of Dec. 22 when he became restless, couldn't sleep and went out for a drive. Thirty minutes later, he realized he was in no condition to drive and started to return home, he said. He ran a red light and was pulled over in the Washington suburb of Alexandria in the early morning hours of Dec. 23.