[B]URLINGTON — State Sen. Debbie Ingram, D-Chittenden, apologized Wednesday for driving under the influence, saying she takes full responsibility for her actions and would like to put the incident behind her.
Ingram, 55, was arrested Oct. 12 near her Williston home after leaving the road and crashing her car before continuing on and veering off the road once more, according to police.
“Many of us live with multiple labels, and being in recovery is a label I acknowledge and own,” Ingram said, reading prepared remarks during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
“While I am a state senator, I am also in recovery. I had been in a 12-step treatment program and experienced a relapse of the disease of alcoholism. I am taking all possible measures to strengthen my recovery and ensure that this never happens again,” she added.
Ingram said she would stay in office. Her attorney Ted Kenney said he would enter a guilty plea to the DUI charge on his client’s behalf at a Thursday hearing in Chittenden Superior Court.
Ingram said during Wednesday’s conference call that “in the spirit of moving forward” this would be the last statement she would make about the incident.
In her apology, Ingram said she will comply with the court’s requirements to resolve the matter and she is grateful nobody was injured as a result of the crash.
She said she was also grateful to the scores of Vermonters who have reached out to her since the DUI to express support or share their own or a loved one’s story of addiction and recovery.
Ingram, who was elected to the Senate in 2016, also served two terms on the Williston Selectboard. Ingram is also the executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action, a nonprofit coalition of congregations advocating for social justice. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
Vermont Interfaith Action issued a strong statement of support for Ingram after the news of her DUI arrest, and Ingram said she will continue as executive director.
Ingram said she takes the “honor and privilege” of serving as a state senator seriously and will continue to work hard to deliver on her campaign promises.
“I’ve already begun this work in the areas of health care, education, opportunities for and treatment of workers, and affordable housing, among many others. My commitment to public service in this capacity remains strong and unchanged,” Ingram said.
Vermont Democratic Party Executive Director Conor Casey said he views her as a rising star in the party and Democrats will continue to support her. Casey praised Ingram for quickly accepting responsibility for her actions and being direct about the context of her recovery.
“I think the world of Debbie, and we just want to be there for her in any way possible,” Casey said. “I see her having a leadership role in our party for years going forward. She hit the ground running and has been a really effective senator in her first year.”
Ken White, pastor at the College Street Congregational Church in Burlington, is Ingram’s pastor. White said Ingram has in place the support structures and tools to ensure accountability, her own health and reconciliation with the community going forward.
That reconciliation begins with taking responsibility, White said, noting that Ingram did so immediately, issuing a statement the day after her arrest.
“The difference between Debbie and the rest of us is that for most of us our worst moments don’t make it to the newspaper,” White said.
