Idaho GOP State Sen. Arrested for Grand Theft, Drunk Driving After Odd Bender

A prominent GOP state senator in Idaho was arrested in the wee hours of Sunday morning after he reportedly stole an SUV, took it on an unsuccessful joyride, and then fell asleep inside.

KTVB-TV explains what happened to Senator John McGee:

Ada County Sheriff's Deputies said it all began Saturday night when McGee started drinking at a golf course at about 10.

They said he later left the clubhouse on foot.

"I was awakened by the sound of my kids screaming that there was somebody out in the backyard," said Joe Carleton.

Carleton woke up around 3 a.m. Sunday to find a truck and 20-foot travel trailer belonging to his neighbors jack-knifed in his back driveway.

Apparently the driver, who deputies say was Senator John McGee, was trying to turn the rig around. Carleton's sons then said the driver ran around the house and up and down the gravel road. Carleton found him in the back seat.

"He said he was looking for the promised land," Carleton said. "He didn't know where he was at. He was dazed and confused. He was in another world."

The station adds that McGee's blood-alcohol level was at 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit.

McGee has widely been considered a rising star in the Idaho GOP party. At 38-years-old, he's the youngest member of the senate, but is already serving his fourth term. His website says he currently serves chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and was also tapped to serve on the Legislative Council and was named the 2006 Idaho State Republican Legislator of the Year. He's currently the chair of the Republican Caucus -- the fourth highest ranking Republican in the Senate.

McGee is married and has one daughter.

His arraignment is scheduled for today.

(H/T: HuffPo)