Patrick Kennedy To Seek Treatment

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), left, leaves a Capitol news conference in which he said he has "a chronic condition for which I am taking full responsibility." (By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)

Kennedy, the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and a scion of one of the country's most prominent political families, was not charged with any crimes but received three traffic citations: failure to keep in the proper lane, driving at an unreasonable speed and failure to give full time and attention to his car. Police said they are contemplating other charges.

Kennedy's office issued a statement Thursday night that said he was on prescription drugs and had not consumed alcohol before the crash. Under D.C. law, people who take prescription medications that hamper their driving can be charged with driving under the influence. The charge carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $300 fine for a first offense.

Within hours of the accident, union officials had written a letter to the Capitol Police chief that criticized the supervisors' decision to forgo sobriety tests.

The actions called "the integrity of our organization into question by creating the appearance of special favor for someone who is perceived to be privileged and powerful," wrote Officer Gregrey H. Baird, acting chairman of the Capitol Police labor committee for the D.C. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1.

Former chief Terrance W. Gainer, who left the force last month, agreed that sobriety tests should have been performed. "It appears there was a mistake made by police and by command officials, not the troops," he said.

Gainer said he understood that McGaffin was not immediately told about the crash. He said a lieutenant in the command center has been reassigned.

Authorities are trying to track Kennedy's activities before the accident. Detectives were canvassing bars near the Capitol to determine whether he had been spotted in them in the hours leading up to the crash, law enforcement sources said.

For his part, Kennedy said the accident "concerns me greatly." He has said that he returned Wednesday night to his home on Capitol Hill, took the medications and inexplicably wound up driving to the Capitol in the belief that he needed to vote.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police or being cited for three driving infractions," he said. "That's not how I want to live my life, and it's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island."

Kennedy has been taking Ambien, a sleeping medication, his office said. Then, on Tuesday, he caught a stomach virus and visited a doctor in the Capitol who prescribed Phenergan to ease inflammation.

Each drug can cause confusion and poor coordination, with the effects heightened when taken together. The drugs in combination can also cause memory loss.

Kennedy said the "recurrence of an addiction problem can be triggered by things that happen in everyday life, such as taking the common [medication] for a stomach flu. It's not an excuse for what happened . . . but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition for which I am taking full responsibility."

Lou Cannon, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, said Kennedy did "the stand-up thing" by admitting his addiction and seeking treatment.

The episode follows another incident involving Capitol police and a member of Congress. In March, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) got into a scuffle with an officer as she tried to bypass a metal detector.

Police asked prosecutors to charge McKinney with assault, and a grand jury is investigating the case.

Staff writers Karlyn Barker, David Brown and Shailagh Murray and news researchers Rena Kirsch, Bob Lyford and Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.