Michigan lawmaker dies of apparent suicide after 2nd DUI arrest
LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan state representative was found dead from an apparent suicide Tuesday, hours after he was released from jail after an arrest a day earlier for suspected drunken driving, officials said.
On Tuesday, police were outside a Lansing, Mich., home that records show is owned by Rep. John Kivela, 47, a Democrat from Marquette, Mich., in the state's upper peninsula.
Kivela's manner of death was not released.
As the news began to trickle through the Michigan Legislature, the House took on a hushed and somber tone as lawmakers embraced and shed tears.
"This is probably the toughest day that we’ll experience this term," said a tearful Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, a Republican from DeWitt, Mich. "I truly have no words about the loss of our dear friend John Kivela. As we go forward over the next couple of days, please keep his wife, Sandy, and his children in your prayers."
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Gov. Rick Snyder praised Kivela and said he was praying for the late lawmaker's family.
"It's a very sad day," said Snyder. "He had a number of issues in his life and apparently he took his own life."
Kivela, a former mayor of Marquette, was remembered as a lawmaker who invited members from both sides of the political aisle to his house in Lansing to enjoy a meal. He enjoyed acting as a tour guide when colleagues would travel to Marquette.
"He was a good friend. John just wanted to bring everyone together," said state Rep. Andy Schor, a Democrat from Lansing. "He was going through stuff and we knew it and we thought he was doing OK. You never know what the person next to you, what's going on in their life. We just have to start talking to each other more."
There will be plenty of regret in the coming days, Schor added. "We didn't see his demons. We knew long ago, but he was doing all the right things. Everyone is going to kick themselves right now for not trying to get a hold of him this morning and show him that we love him."
Kivela’s is the third untimely death of Michigan House members in the last year. On June 25, 2016, state Rep. Julie Plawecki, a Democrat from Dearborn Heights, died of an apparent heart attack while hiking with her daughters in Oregon. And Rep. Peter Pettalia, a Republican from Presque Isle, died Sept. 12, 2016, when a truck pulled out in front of his motorcycle.
For the second time in less than two years, Kivela was arrested outside of Lansing on Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Kivela, who was in his third and final term in the House and had announced he would seek a state Senate seat, acknowledged a lifelong drinking problem after his 2015 arrest and said he was seeking help.
Monday afternoon, a man was stopped after the Clinton County Sheriff's Office received 911 calls about a vehicle driving erratically, Sheriff Lawrence Jerue said Tuesday.
The man, who had been arrested before for the same offense, was put through field sobriety tests, arrested, and housed in the county jail overnight, Jerue said. Jerue would not disclose the breath readings the man gave, but said they were high enough to potentially justify a "super drunk charge."
The man was released on bond Tuesday morning and was to return for an arraignment May 18, he said.
Jerue would not identify the man pending arraignment, but the Detroit Free Press confirmed it was Kivela.
In the Nov. 9, 2015, incident, Kivela was speeding at 80 mph, swerving in and out of lanes, and was confused about where he was coming from when a sheriff’s deputy stopped him just north of Lansing, according to records obtained by the newspaper.
In that incident, Kivela was charged under the state's "super drunk" law, which is still a misdemeanor but carries higher potential penalties, including jail time for a first offense. He later pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated, first offense, and the "super drunk" charge was dropped.
In the 2015 incident, Kivela had an open bottle of whiskey in his pickup, identified himself as a state representative and pleaded to be let off before blowing nearly three times the legal limit in a series of breath tests, according to a report from the Clinton County (Mich.) Sheriff’s Office obtained under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act.
A blood alcohol content of 0.08% is considered the level at which someone can be convicted of drunken driving in Michigan. A reading of at least 0.17% is required for a "super drunk" charge.
The lawmaker from the Upper Peninsula issued a statement Nov. 10, 2015, that said he was seeking treatment for alcoholism.
Paul Egan and Kathleen Gray write for the Detroit Free Press; Chris Haxel writes for the Lansing State (Mich.) Journal. Follow Paul Egan, Kathleen Gray and Chris Haxel on Twitter: @paulegan4, @michpoligal and @ChrisHaxel