By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – Alabama Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said he plans to seek “professional assistance immediately,” and issued an apology after he was released from the Shelby County Jail on a driving under the influence charge on July 2.

Ward was arrested by the Alabaster Police Department and booked into the Shelby County Jail on a driving under the influence charge on July 1. Ward, 44, represents Shelby County and multiple other central Alabama counties in the state Senate.

“My failure at dealing with stress led me to make incredibly reckless decisions. I recognize that I used alcohol as a crutch,” Ward wrote in a statement to the Shelby County Reporter. “I was very wrong and deeply apologize to my family, friends and constituents. I plan on seeking professional assistance immediately.”

He was booked into the jail on July 1, and was released on bond the following morning.  His arrest warrant was not yet listed in court documents.

As of July 1, calls Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney had not yet been returned.

Ward has been serving District 14 in the Alabama Senate since 2010. Before he was elected to the Senate seat, Ward served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives.

He is also the executive director of the Alabaster Industrial Development Board.