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DuPage County GOP Chairman and Carol Stream state Rep. Randy Ramey was ticketed for driving under the influence of alcohol early Sunday morning after police say he was driving with twice the legal blood-alcohol limit.
The four-term representative was pulled over in Carol Stream for improper lane usage after police observed him crossing the center line, a spokeswoman for Ramey said. Ramey registered a 0.17 blood-alcohol level. The legal limit is 0.08.
At the time, Ramey was driving from a restaurant and bar where he had been visiting with the owner, said spokeswoman Vicki Crawford.
Ramey's office issued a brief statement Tuesday revealing the charges and apologizing.
“I regret and take full responsibility for my actions, and I am prepared to face the consequences,” Ramey said in the statement. “I am deeply sorry to disappoint my family and my constituents."
Ramey, when reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, declined to comment further on the incident, but he said he is not considering a leave of absence or stepping down from either post.
Ramey has represented Illinois' 55th House district since 2005. The district includes West Chicago as well as Carol Stream. But after this year's redistricting, Ramey will reside in the 45th House district, where he would face Republican incumbent Franco Coladipietro of Bloomingdale in the 2012 election.
This summer, Republican leaders in DuPage County appointed Ramey to replace Dan Cronin as party chairman. Cronin, a former state senator from Elmhurst, stepped down to focus on his new job as DuPage County chairman. Republican precinct committee officials will vote on a permanent GOP chairman at a convention in April.
Carol Stream, meanwhile, is renowned for tough DUI enforcement. Police there racked up 860 DUI charges in the last two years — sixth most in the state and second only to Naperville in the Chicago suburbs, according to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists.
DuPage County GOP Chairman and Carol Stream state Rep. Randy Ramey was ticketed for driving under the influence of alcohol early Sunday morning after police say he was driving with twice the legal blood-alcohol limit.
The four-term representative was pulled over in Carol Stream for improper lane usage after police observed him crossing the center line, a spokeswoman for Ramey said. Ramey registered a 0.17 blood-alcohol level. The legal limit is 0.08.
At the time, Ramey was driving from a restaurant and bar where he had been visiting with the owner, said spokeswoman Vicki Crawford.
Ramey's office issued a brief statement Tuesday revealing the charges and apologizing.
“I regret and take full responsibility for my actions, and I am prepared to face the consequences,” Ramey said in the statement. “I am deeply sorry to disappoint my family and my constituents."
Ramey, when reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, declined to comment further on the incident, but he said he is not considering a leave of absence or stepping down from either post.
Ramey has represented Illinois' 55th House district since 2005. The district includes West Chicago as well as Carol Stream. But after this year's redistricting, Ramey will reside in the 45th House district, where he would face Republican incumbent Franco Coladipietro of Bloomingdale in the 2012 election.
This summer, Republican leaders in DuPage County appointed Ramey to replace Dan Cronin as party chairman. Cronin, a former state senator from Elmhurst, stepped down to focus on his new job as DuPage County chairman. Republican precinct committee officials will vote on a permanent GOP chairman at a convention in April.
Carol Stream, meanwhile, is renowned for tough DUI enforcement. Police there racked up 860 DUI charges in the last two years — sixth most in the state and second only to Naperville in the Chicago suburbs, according to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists.
