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   From: gretchen_rape_fantasy@freep.com   
      
   A Michigan state lawmaker faces up to 93 days in jail after pleading   
   guilty to operating a vehicle under the influence.   
      
   State Rep. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township, entered her plea   
   earlier this week. The deal comes after her arrest in February, when   
   Livonia police reportedly watched her try to drive a vehicle with   
   two flat tires. Cavanagh, a first-term lawmaker and member of a   
   politically prominent family, had a blood alcohol level that was   
   more than twice the level at which someone can be convicted of   
   drunken driving, according to police records.   
      
   This is the second time she's been charged with a similar offense.   
      
   Her lawyer, Todd Perkins, and Livonia city attorney Paul Bernier   
   confirmed the agreement.   
      
   "I was not going to treat her any differently than I treat anyone   
   else, either harsher or easier," Bernier said in a phone interview   
   Thursday. "The goal is always to try and get them into some kind of   
   treatment program."   
      
   As part of her plea, Cavanagh wants to be accepted into a program   
   called sobriety court. After successful admission into and   
   completion of the program, participants are able to drive with a   
   restricted license and after installing a device the prevents a   
   vehicle from starting without the driver passing a test to prove the   
   person is not drunk.   
      
   Bernier said not everyone who applies gets into the program, only   
   those who "actually want to become sober."   
      
   "It’s about treatment, really. It’s about treatment, counseling and   
   really getting to the point where you’re dealing with recovery for   
   the rest of your life," Perkins said.   
      
   Admission into the program does not necessarily prevent Cavanagh   
   from receiving jail time, a fine or community service, Bernier said.   
      
   Cavanagh, 30, is the latest in her family to serve in public office.   
   Her father was a state lawmaker from from 2011 to 2015 and her   
   grandfather, Jerome Cavanagh, was mayor of Detroit from 1962 to   
   1970.   
      
   “Rep. Cavanagh has taken an important step toward accountability and   
   many important steps toward healthy behaviors. She has done this   
   while serving her constituents faithfully, and we will continue to   
   support her as she chooses as the legal process concludes," House   
   Democratic Leader Donna Lasinskiof Scio Township said in a   
   statement.   
      
   She is the third Michigan lawmaker this session to face punishment   
   for charges related to drunken driving.   
      
   State Rep. Jewell Jones, D-Inkster, was sentenced to two years of   
   probation after pleading guilty to a slew of driving, alcohol and   
   weapons charges after a 2021 arrest in Livingston County.   
      
   In 2021, Rep. Brian Posthumus, R-Oakfield Township, was sentenced to   
   15 days in jail after pleading guilty to operating a vehicle under   
   the influence.   
      
   Cavanagh's sentencing is May 6.   
      
   Contact Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591.   
   Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.   
      
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