Sen. Crapo “consumed several shots of vodka" before DUI arrest

According to court documents, Crapo ran a red light before getting pulled over and arrested

Published December 27, 2012 2:58PM (EST)

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, had "consumed several shots of vodka" prior to getting arrested and charged with a DUI, according to court documents obtained by the Washington Post.

The Post reports that Crapo, a Mormon who has said that he abstains from alcohol, was pulled over after making a left turn on a red light in Alexandria, Va.

From the Post:

“When I spoke with the driver I immediately detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath, which became stronger as he spoke,” the arresting officer wrote.

Crapo said he drank the vodka hours earlier, and hadn’t had anything to drink since, documents show.

Crapo failed a field sobriety test and agreed to take a breath test, which resulted in a level of .11, exceeding Virginia’s legal limit of .08, according to the documents.

Crapo's court date is set for January 4.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Dui Idaho Mike Crapo Mormonism Republicans