Oxycontin News Blog

PROVIDENCE — U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy has received an early release from his court-ordered probation following his late-night automobile accident in Washington, D.C., last May.

District of Columbia Superior Court Magistrate Aida Melendez approved early termination of the congressman's probation on April 10, more than two months before it was scheduled to end.

"He finished all of his court-ordered requirements before the court date," Kennedy spokeswoman Robin Costello said yesterday. "He's doing great and he's working hard."

She said Kennedy has fulfilled the terms of his probation, including attending weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, attending a victims' impact group in Fairfax County, Va., and undergoing counseling with his physician, Dr. Ronald Smith.

The congressman was given a 10-day suspended sentence. Instead, he performed 50 hours of community service with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and also agreed to pay $250 to the club and $100 to a crime victim's fund.

"Mr. Kennedy is genuinely and honestly engaged in his recovery process," Smith wrote in a March 22 letter. "He has continued to attend daily AA meetings for the past year and is clean and sober…. We remain very optimistic."

Kennedy said in a recent Today Show interview that he had sought treatment for an addiction to the painkiller Oxycontin months before wrecking his car last spring. He crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a security barrier around 3 a.m. on May 4, 2006.

As part of a plea agreement last June, Kennedy was sentenced to drug treatment and probation.

Kennedy, 39, who won reelection to a seventh term last fall, has been forthright about his battles with mental illness, including bipolar disorder, and his addictions to alcohol and other substances.

The congressman has been a passionate advocate for improved mental health coverage on Capitol Hill, including his support for a bill that would ensure equal coverage to those suffering from mental illness.

Before the car crash, Kennedy said that he returned home from work and took Ambien, a sleeping pill, and Phenergan, a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. He said he did not consume alcohol that night.

Immediately after the crash, he entered the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for drug treatment. The following month, he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. The two other charges, reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit, were dismissed.

2007, Published by The Providence Journal Co., 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.

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