Del. lawmaker pleads guilty to DUI

State Rep. Brad Bennett has pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge.

The Dover Democrat pleaded guilty Tuesday in Sussex County Court of Common Pleas to driving under the influence.

“Since this incident occurred four months ago, I have said that I expected to be treated the same as anyone else in this situation,” Bennett said in a statement. “I made a mistake that will not happen again.”

Court of Common Plea Chief Judge Alex Smalls sentenced Bennett to one year of probation, which will be lifted once Bennett completes a state driving under the influence course. Bennett will also install an ignition-locking device in his vehicle as part of the plea deal.

Bennett was pulled over by Lewes Police at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 3 for a traffic violation. He was re-elected in November, taking 50 percent of the vote to the Republican challenger’s 44 percent.

Bennett says he is taking full responsibility for his actions.

“And by entering the first offender’s program, I am doing just that,” he said. “I have been attending my first offender classes since January and will complete them in a timely manner.”