State Rep. given probation, community service in drunken driving case

James David Dickson
The Detroit News

Auburn Hills — State Rep. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, was sentenced to one year of probation on a misdemeanor operating while intoxicated charge Wednesday in Oakland County.

State Rep. Rebekah Warren

Warren had pleaded guilty in February in the late-December incident. In exchange for her plea, her charge was reduced from driving with a blood alcohol content above .17, which is known in legal circles as Michigan's "super drunk" law. 

More:Rep. Rebekah Warren pleads guilty to lesser DUI charge

The proceeding was led by Judge Julie Nicholson of 52/3 District Court. 

In addition to the probation term, Warren must perform 10 days of community service, court records show. Those records show Warren owes the court about $2,100 in various fines and fees.

On the night after Christmas, about 11:45 p.m., Auburn Hills police pulled over Warren as she drove on Interstate 75.

More:State lawmaker Rebekah Warren arrested for suspected drunken driving

"We had received several calls about a motorist weaving in and out of lanes along 75 and one of our cars caught up with the suspect vehicle — a 2013 Jeep Cherokee — on northbound I-75 near Baldwin Road,” Lt. Ryan Gagnon, a spokesman for Auburn Hills Police Department, said at the time. “The officer saw the vehicle cross several lanes of traffic, nearly cutting off one motorist, and striking a guardrail and continuing north."

The officer followed the Jeep for about three-quarters of a mile before she pulled over, Gagnon said. The motorist admitted she had been at an event in Detroit, had been drinking and was on her way home to Ann Arbor.

Warren apologized for the incident immediately, calling it a "stupid mistake."

“Last night, I was stopped in Auburn Hills following a gathering in Detroit," she said. "I made a stupid mistake; I drank alcohol and got into my vehicle to drive. I apologize to those impacted by my actions. Most importantly, I am extremely grateful that I did not hurt anyone.

"I appreciate the Auburn Hills police who stopped me last night and the professionalism and dignity with which I was treated by everyone at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. I take full responsibility for my actions," Warren said in a statement after her arrest was announced.

Warren did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.