A prominent Oklahoma lobbyist and former head of the state's Republican Party was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of cocaine and prescription pills. According to NewsOK.com, Chad Alexander was pulled over for a traffic stop around 7:30 on Tuesday evening when officers found the drugs in his car.
Officers found approximately 3.35 grams of cocaine and a bottle of oxycodone pills, a powerful painkiller for which Alexander did not have a prescription. Police reported that his 2014 Mercedes-Benz was "straddling lane lines" when they pulled him over.
Alexander released a statement saying that he will be seeking treatment at a rehab center in Argyle, TX for substance abuse issues brought on by the responsibilities of his work and other pressures.
“I regret to inform you that I will be taking a leave of absence from my personal and professional obligations for approximately the next 28 days,” he said. “I am leaving immediately for inpatient care at the Sante Center for Healing."
He continued, "Over the course of the last several months, due to the pressure of meeting the demands of my clients at the state Legislature, 15 campaigns, and my duties as a single father, I became personally overwhelmed and started down a path of dependency on chemical substances in an effort to maintain my workload."
“What began only a couple months ago has quickly escalated to a point that has caused me to carefully re-evaluate myself and I am committed to making healthy and permanent changes to prevent anything like this from ever happening again," Alexander said.
Alexander is a cofounder of Republican lobbying group Oklahomans for a Conservative Future and has served as the chairperson of the state Republican party. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Tea Party candidates through his work with conservative PACs in the state.
NewsOK.com said that Alexander is "a registered lobbyist for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Market Wholesale, Glazer’s, Oklahoma Home & Community Healthcare Advisory Council, Oklahoma Roofing and Sheet Metal, Primary Vision Care Services, Republic Beverage Company and the University of Oklahoma."
He was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail and released on $5,000 bail.
