It's a done deal. Patrick "Patches" Kennedy was slapped on the wrist today after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of prescription drugs in a Washington, DC courtroom. In exchange for the guilty plea, the court agreed to drop the other charges facing our nitwit Congressman after his well publicized car crash in Washington, DC last month. Having avoided a jury trial by pleading guilty, Kennedy's sentence breaks down as so:- 10 day suspended jail sentence
- 1 year's probation
- $300 fine - suspended
- 50 hours of community service for the Boys & Girls Club in DC
- $350 donation to the aforementioned club's "victims compensation fund"
- random urine screenings
- mandatory weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
- monthly "addiction sessions" at the National Navy Medical Center
All of this sounds very daunting, but it isn't. Congressman Kennedy, who was alleged to have been seen drinking at a bar shortly before his crash, was further alleged by police to have exerted political pressure at the scene to avoid being arrested on a much more serious charge - driving under the influence of alcohol, and avoided being subjected to a potentially politically lethal breathalyzer test.
Having once worked with a guy who did a few years of hard time in a notorious Massachusetts correctional facility after a drunk driving conviction, Patches once again leveraged his "royal family" name into getting off nearly scot-free on a crime that would send lesser men to the clink. Having escaped charges of drunk driving and obstruction of justice, it's apparently just another day in the office for Patches Kennedy. The Providence Journal (registration required) has all the gory details here.
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