Redford Rep. Mary Cavanagh sentenced to sobriety court, probation following drunken driving conviction
Mary Cavanagh in court for her sentencing.
LIVONIA, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Redford lawmaker who pled guilty to drunken driving was sentenced to probation and 10 days in jail or a voluntary work program Friday.
Rep. Mary Cavanagh will also take part in a two-year sobriety court program offered through the judicial system that will require her to test regularly for drugs and alcohol, as well as attend meetings. Her lawyer said she would obtain a sponsor for the program.
The Democratic lawmaker was stopped by Livonia police after driving on two flat tires with a blood alcohol level of .17 - more than twice the legal limit in Michigan. It was her second instance of drunk driving.
She pled guilty to operating while intoxicated on April 13.
Attorney Todd Perkins said he took the case as soon as it came to him because of his familial connection to Cavanagh's family. "I think that the best is yet to come for Ms. Cavanagh, not only in the program, but in life."
As part of her sentencing agreement, she will be allowed to drive as long as she blows into a Smart Start breath test that notes if she's consumed any alcohol.
As she progresses through the program, the rules she follows will become less restrictive.
She will also need to pay hundreds of dollars in court costs and fines.
After her plea, Cavanagh wrote on social media that there was "no excuse for my decision that night, and I am extremely grateful that no one was harmed, including myself."
"This is something that she will live with, but she will use her story to inspire others to gain sobriety," Perkins said at the time of the plea hearing.
More coverage: Video shows Michigan Rep. Mary Cavanagh's suspected drunken driving arrest in Livonia
"The purpose of it is to get you in shape mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually," Perkins said. "And you need all those faculties in your life and all those intangibles in your life to be working to ensure a life of sobriety."
Cavanagh is the second Michigan representative to face legal penalties for driving while intoxicated after Inkster Rep. Jewell Jones pled guilty in his own case from 2021.