University of Alabama SGA president resigns after DUI arrest

Jared Hunter, center, and his campaign staff react to his election as student body president at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Originally from Wetumpka, Ala., Hunter is the first black student to win the position with the backing of a secretive group called The Machine, which is composed of the school's most prestigious, historically white fraternities and sororities (Jacob Arthur/Alabama Crimson White via AP) (Jacob Arthur)

resigned his position today, according to a resignation letter posted on Facebook.

In the letter, Jarod Hunter expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness for his actions.

"There are no words to express how remorseful I am about my actions. I am sincerely sorry, and the choice I made to drive while intoxicated is inexcusable," Hunter said in the letter.

Lt. Teena Richardson said Tuscaloosa Police on Sunday responded to a head-on collision involving two people suffering minor injuries in the 1300 block of Hackberry Lane.

Officers "smelled a moderate odor of an alcoholic beverage" on one of the drivers, according to Richardson.

"Upon further investigation, officer observed other behaviors indicative of a person driving impaired. Officers administer standardize field sobriety test in which the driver, Jared Hunter performed poorly. Hunter was transported to Tuscaloosa County Jail."

At the jail, Hunter's blood-alcohol content was found to be .16 percent, the statement continued. The legal limit in Alabama is .08. According to the jail database, Hunter was held on a $1,000 secured bond. The database did not list him as a current inmate Monday afternoon.

Hunter said everyone involved in the accident is safe, but said his actions risked his own life and the life of others.

"There is no way to justify drunk driving as there were infinite ways to put people's lives in danger when you choose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated," he said.

"I am heartbroken to have disappointed so many, but in order to promote ethical behavior, this is the action that must be taken," he said after announcing his resignation in the letter.

The SGA Office of the Attorney General accepted his resignation. The resignation was effective at 2:30 p.m., according to a statement from Attorney General Lance Bryant McCaskey.

Executive Vice President Casey Nelson will take the Presidential Oath and assume the Office of the President "as soon as possible," according to McCaskey's statement.

"This choice is not who I am and is not a reflection of the man I was raised to be. Again, I am truly sorry for what I have done. The guilt I feel is insurmountable, and I will take every step necessary to rectify my wrong doings," Hunter said. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for what I have done despite how I have let you down."

Hunter made history last year when he become the first African-American candidate to gain the backing of the Machine, a coalition of fraternities and sororities that has influence on campus elections. Hunter was the third African-American elected to the post.

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