Sen. Lugar's wife pleads guilty to DWI charge

The wife of Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) has pleaded guilty to drunk driving in Fairfax County for an incident last fall in which she struck a parked car in McLean.

Police said they stopped Charlene S. Lugar, 77, on Old Dominion Drive about 6:15 p.m. on Nov. 18 because steam was coming from the front of her Buick sport utility vehicle, and because it had obvious front end damage.

Officers investigated and found a damaged car nearby.

Court records show that Lugar was taken to the Fairfax jail, where she tested for a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 at 9:06 p.m. A blood-alcohol level of 0.08 is the legal definition of intoxication in Virginia.

Lugar was arrested and charged with drunk driving and hit-and-run. Fairfax prosecutors agreed to dismiss the hit-and-run charge in exchange for a guilty plea to the DWI charge. The case was set for June 11, but defense attorney Brendan Harold filed a motion last week to enter a plea the following day, and Lugar pleaded guilty on May 28.

Lugar received a standard disposition for first-time drunk drivers in Fairfax County from Fairfax General District Court Judge Mitchell Mutnick. She was given a $500 fine with $250 suspended; 30 days in jail, all suspended; her license was suspended for one year, with permission to drive to work and medical appointments; and she was ordered to participate in an alcohol counseling program.

Harold declined to comment on the case Wednesday.

This post has been updated since it was first published.

-- Tom Jackman