Wis. legislator arrested on alcohol, pot charges
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin lawmaker was arrested on charges of drunken driving and marijuana possession after smashing his car into a highway sign and a snowbank, according to a report released Monday.
State Rep. Jeffrey Wood apologized Monday for acting irresponsibly, saying there was “no excuse for my actions.”
A truck driver reported Wood to police after watching his vehicle weave for several miles on an interstate highway. Wood’s car then went airborne and smashed into a caution sign and a snowbank before returning to the road, the report said.
He was arrested early Friday in south-central Wisconsin, far from the northwestern district he represents in Bloomer. His blood-alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit, the report said.
Wood told WAYY radio in Eau Claire that he had no plans to step down.
He also told the station how marijuana ended up in his car: “Somebody offered me some and I took it, and for whatever stupid reason got in my car and decided to drive home.”
Wood was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2002 as a Republican but quit the GOP this year and was re-elected as an independent.
He is due in court next month.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.