STLTODAY Reported: • A Missouri state representative was arrested Sunday afternoon for allegedly possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Rep. Jeremy LaFaver, D-Kansas City, was pulled over in Boone County at around 3 p.m. because he had failed to respond to an earlier traffic-related offense, according to a statement from Lafaver that is consistent with information from the state Highway Patrol.
During the stop, he was cited with possession of a marijuana pipe and a quantity of marijuana less than 35 grams.
“I made a serious mistake, I apologize for it, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my behavior. I want to stress that I was not operating under the influence,” LaFaver said in a statement Sunday night. “I want to assure my constituents that I have received no special considerations, nor do I expect to be treated any differently than any other citizen in my situation.”
It’s unclear what the charges could mean for LaFaver,33, politically.
The first-term representative is the chairman of the Missouri House Democratic Victory Committee, a fundraising arm that backs Democratic candidates seeking representative seats.
UPDATE: Missouri State Representative Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City) announced this morning that he has asked to step aside as chair of the House Democratic Victory Committee.
“The goal of electing Democrats to the House is too important to the middle class men and women of Missouri for my personal embarrassment to become a distraction, and I have therefore asked the Minority Leader to let me step down from the chairmanship,” LaFaver said in a statement.
