A candidate for state senate arrested for DUI in Monongalia County, West Virginia, who admitted to being intoxicated, has been charged with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Del. Doug Skaff, a Democrat, is among the candidates running for state senate in the mid-term general elections scheduled for next month.
Skaff was arrested on Saturday after a County deputy sheriff stopped his car, which was reportedly cruising on the wrong lane of a university avenue near Morgantown.
The state senate arrested for DUI was very tipsy when apprehended. He reportedly "had bloodshot and glassy eyes and slightly slurred speech," the complaint filed in Monongalia Country Magistrate Court reads.
The news of the candidate for state senate arrested for DUI has gone viral online. Many commentators have pointed to the irony of his arrest, and not simply because of his position as a lawmaker.
"Last spring Skaff co-sponsored a bill that would have required breath tests for alcohol abuse for miners both prior to their being hired and then randomly throughout their employment," AP writes.
This is not Skaff's first DUI offence. Reports indicate that "He failed three field sobriety tests but refused to take a breath test. He was arrested and twice more refused a breath test," WMetronews reports.
Reports indicate that the delegate, who is serving his third term, later asked for a blood test. Skaff has since been released from police custody after paying a $3,000 bond.
The state senate arrested for DUI later apologized for his actions in an e-mail statement. He said he takes full responsibility for his regrettable actions and said he should have had a designated driver. "I apologize to my family, friends and those in the community as a well as those who have put their faith in me," he noted.
