AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A state senator pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge Tuesday and apologized for making a mistake.
"I made a mistake, and I accept responsibility for the consequences of my conduct," state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos said.
Barrientos was given a year on probation and ordered to attend alcohol counseling sessions, perform 40 hours of community service and pay a $500 fine.
The Austin Democrat was charged with driving while intoxicated on Nov. 21 after a police officer pulled him over because his car was weaving back and forth in downtown Austin, according to police.
Because he refused to take a breath test when he was stopped, he will lose his license for 180 days under a law approved during the last legislative session. Barrientos voted for the bill. In 1999, he also voted for a bill that became a law lowering the legal blood-alcohol level from 0.10 to 0.08 percent.