A North Carolina senator is in hot water for a DWI arrest in Raleigh. If that wasn’t enough, the Tar Heel State politician had a blood alcohol concentration twice the legal limit. After getting busted for his crime, the senator commended police officers for their “professionalism” during the arrest. 

Police arrested NC Senator Norman Sanderson for DWI with a 0.16% blood alcohol concentration

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol pulled over an elderly driver in Raleigh on Saturday. The driver was 74-year-old Norman Sanderson, a state senator representing eight counties in North Carolina.

According to the arrest records, Sanderson also had an open container at the time of his arrest. In addition to his DWI charge, authorities slapped Sanderson with a citation for “failing to obey a traffic officer” and having an open container while driving. 

“Last night I made a regrettable mistake, and I take responsibility for my actions,” Sanderson said in a statement after the arrest. “I want to apologize to my constituents, my colleagues, and my family for letting them down. I commend the State Highway Patrol and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism during the incident.”

It wasn’t a question of Sanderson being near the legal limit, either. In North Carolina, as with nearly every other US state, the legal limit is 0.08%. If a driver tests at 0.08% or above, police officers can arrest them for driving under the influence.

Sanderson, however, had a BAC of 0.16%, twice the legal limit of North Carolina. According to Hiltzheimer Law, any BAC above 0.15% can be an “aggravating” factor for a DWI charge.