GOP Lawmaker From Michigan Gets 15 Days In Jail For Drunken Driving

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A state lawmaker from the Grand Rapids area was sentenced to 15 days in jail Friday, July 23, for drunken driving.

State Rep. Bryan Posthumus | Credit: Michigan House of Representatives

Republican Rep. Bryan Posthumus expressed remorse and said he hasn't had a drink since he rolled his vehicle on April 30 in Ada Township.

He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.13, above the 0.08 threshold for drunken driving, police said.

"It is not lost on me that that day could've ended very much differently," Posthumus said, a reference to injuries or death. "And I didn't only let myself down. I let my family down. I let my friends down, and I let down the people that I serve.

Judge Jeff O'Hara noted that Posthumus had a similar case in 2013.

"I can't tell you the number of times we have an operating while intoxicated causing death case. When that happens, it'll bring you to your knees," the judge said.

Posthumus' family has been deeply involved in government and politics: His father, Dick, was a state senator and lieutenant governor, and his sister, Lisa Posthumus Lyons, is the Kent County clerk and a former lawmaker.

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