Ft. Myers Radio: Trey Radel Takes Leave Of Absence

Trey Radel

U.S. Rep. Trey Radel said Wednesday night he will take a leave of absence for an unspecified time and donate his salarym according to CNN.

"I have no excuse for what I have done. I have let down our country," he said at a news conference.

Radel spoke to reporters after returning home to southwest Florida, hours after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine possession.

The 37-year-old first-term Republican from Florida said he will enter an inpatient drug treatment program.

The cocaine possession charge came after authorities said he bought a small amount of cocaine in a sting in the nation's capital last month.

The plea and sentence were part of a deal that Radel's attorney struck with federal prosecutors. He could have received a maximum sentence of 180 days imprisonment or a $1,000 fine, or both. Instead, he was placed on one year probation, and if it is "successfully completed," his guilty plea will be cleared from his record.

He is a former journalist and TV news anchor, having worked for WINK and a morning radio host for Fox Newsradio WFSX 92.5 FM  in Fort Myers, Florida. He also owned and eventually sold the Naples Journal newspaper, according to a biography on his congressional website.

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