Sen. Michael Crapo, arrested in December for driving drunk in Virginia, said Friday after pleading guilty to the charges he had brought "shame" upon himself and his family.
Crapo will pay a $250 fine and surrender his license for a year, though a 180-day jail sentence was suspended on condition of good behavior. Last week Crapo's spokesman said the Idaho Republican would not contest the charges.
Crapo was arrested just before 1 a.m. ET on December 23 in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia after a police officer noticed his vehicle running a red light. Alexandria police said Crapo's blood alcohol level was .110 at the time of his arrest.
A second blood alcohol test taken at a detention center registered a different blood alcohol level, according to Crapo's spokesman Lindsay Nothern, but he was not certain why the levels differed.
Following his plea, Crapo spoke to reporters about the night of his arrest, saying he was driving through Alexandria to "wind down" and mistakenly turned against a red light.
Crapo is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which prohibits the use of alcohol among its members. On Friday, Crapo explained he began using alcohol "in recent months."
"For less than a year, I have, on occasion, had alcoholic drinks in my apartment in Washington, D.C.," he said. "It was a poor choice to use alcohol to relieve stress, and one at odds with my personally held religious beliefs."
"My mistake in using alcohol in the recent months has therefore brought additional shame upon me and my family and other church members who care about me," he continued. "I will carry through on appropriate measure for forgiveness and repentance from my church, and ask all of you for your forgiveness."
Crapo has represented Idaho in the Senate since 1999, and before that served in the U.S. House of Representatives for six years. Crapo was re-elected in 2010 with 71% of the vote and is a member of the Senate's "Gang of 8."
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