Mo. lawmaker pleads guilty to drunken driving

Steve Hodges

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) -- A southeast Missouri lawmaker says he has pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and been sentenced to probation.

Democratic Rep. Steve Hodges, of East Prairie, said he pleaded guilty Thursday in Cole County Circuit Court to two charges stemming from incidents earlier this year.

Hodges says his driver's license was suspended and he was sentenced to two years of probation. He was also ordered to participate in a substance abuse traffic offender program.

The 65-year-old lawmaker was first elected to the House in 2006 and is barred by term limits from seeking re-election this year. Hodges was cleaning out his Capitol office Thursday but does not plan to resign before his term ends in January.

He says he completed a voluntary 30-day substance abuse treatment program earlier this year.