Mississippi State Senate President Pro Tempore Terry C. Burton is facing a charge for driving under the influence Wednesday night in Oktibbeha County.

A Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper arrested Burton, 62, on US 82 West following a one-vehicle crash west of Starkville near Highway 182, according to a press release from Troop G.

Troopers found an uninjured Burton in a 2017 white Chevrolet Silverado in a ditch on the north side of the highway at 9:12 p.m.

The Oktibbeha’s Sheriff’s Department reported that Burton was booked into the Oktibbeha County jail at 10:40 p.m. for driving under the influence and failure to stay within the lane. The department reported that Burton bonded out on a $992 bond and was released. 

Burton, of Newton, declined an interview and released a statement to the media.

“I know firsthand what it is like to make a mistake and to accept the consequences for those mistakes. I respect and applaud law enforcement for always erring on the side of caution. I truly believe this is a misunderstanding,” Burton said in the statement. 

Burton, the second-ranking leader of the Mississippi Senate, faced DUI charges in 2016 after running a sport utility vehicle off of Interstate 20 in Scott County, according to published reports. 

Scott County Justice Court Judge Wilbur McCurdy cleared Burton of the charge, after Burton said that he had taken cough syrup and used breath spray, which gave law enforcement a false positive during a blood alcohol content breath test. 

In July 2014, Burton pleaded guilty to a first-offense DUI in Brandon. Burton said that incident occurred after he took non-narcotic prescription pain killer for back problems and mistakenly had a few drinks with dinner. 

Burton, a Republican, has represented District 31, which includes Lauderdale, Newton and Scott counties, since 1992. 

Burton is the second state legislator from East Mississippi to be charged with a DUI in the last three months. Mississippi House Speaker Pro Tem Greg Snowden, R-83, pleaded no contest and requested non-adjudication in his charge on Nov. 19 in Meridian Municipal Court for refusing a breathalyzer in September. On Sept. 27, the Meridian Police Department charged Snowden with a DUI refusal after responding to an accident on Highway 39N without injuries in Meridian.