Report: Fossella Arrested

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By Azi Paybarah

May 1, 2008 | 2:48 p.m

From The Washington Post:

Rep. Vito J. Fossella (R-N.Y.) was arrested overnight in Alexandria and charged with driving while intoxicated, court records showed today.
Fossella is scheduled to appear in Alexandria General District Court on May 12 for an advisement hearing, the records said.

No other details were immediately available.

Reached by phone, Fossella's communication director had no immediate comment on the report.

Fossella was elected to Congress in a special election to represent the 13th Congressional District of New York in November 1997, according to a biography on his Web site. The district includes Staten Island and the Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and the Bensonhurst and Gravesend neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

He serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Fossella began his political career in 1994 when he was elected to the New York City Council.

UPDATE: When asked for reaction, Democratic State Senator Diane Savino said, “A person’s mistakes shouldn’t define who they are.”

UPDATE II: Here is the statement Fossella released: “Last night I made an error in judgment. As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong. I apologize to my family and the constituents of the 13th Congressional District for embarrassing them, as well as myself.”