ALABASTER, Ala. -- The chairman of the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday he is seeking professional help following his arrest on a charge of driving under the influence.
Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said he planned to get assistance immediately.
"My failure at dealing with stress led me to make incredibly reckless decisions," said Ward, 44. "I recognize that I used alcohol as a crutch. I was very wrong and deeply apologize to my family, friends and constituents."
Ward's comments came in a written statement released hours after he was freed on $1,000 bond following a night in jail in Shelby County, which is part of his legislative district in suburban Birmingham.
Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney said the department received a call about a suspected drunk driver on Alabama 119 at 12:46 p.m. Wednesday, and an officer stopped a vehicle soon after at a city ballpark just a few miles away.
Ward "exhibited signs of intoxication" and failed several field sobriety tests before being arrested, Rigney said during a brief news conference.
A police report showed officers impounded Ward's gray Mercedes-Benz, but Rigney wouldn't answer questions about Ward's blood-alcohol content and other details of the arrest.
The traffic stop occurred about two hours after Ward posted a photo of himself on social media during a visit to a vocational school in Bibb County, located about 35 miles from where he was stopped by police.
Ward, an attorney, sponsored legislation this spring to overhaul Alabama's crowded prison system. He also is executive director of the Alabaster Industrial Development Board.
Court records show Ward's only previous legal scrapes are speeding tickets in 1997 and 2007. He pleaded guilty to both.