President-elect of Michigan village serving 60 days in jail

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - The president-elect of the Village of Caledonia has vowed to fight for his post while serving 60 days in jail for third-offense drunken driving.

Todd Grinage, 53, was sentenced Nov. 3, five days before the general election, MLive (https://bit.ly/2eoUS8H ) reported. He won the race with 371 votes, compared to candidate Danise Regan’s 260 votes.

Grinage stood in the lobby of the Kent County Jail on Thursday and apologized for his mistakes. He said his convictions for DUI don’t have anything to do with his ability to lead the village.

“My conviction of the DUI has nothing to do with what I can do for the village and the people that live within there,” Grinage said. “I have a deep compassion for that town. I’ve lived there all my life.”

A Kent County deputy arrested Grinage after finding him sleeping behind the wheel of a pickup truck late at night along the road at Cherry Valley Avenue SE and 84th Street. His blood-alcohol level was 0.148 - nearly twice the legal limit, according to court records.

Grinage’s attorney Andrew Rodenhouse said his client still has a lot of support from the community.

“He’s a great guy, he does a lot for (the community),” Rodenhouse said.

Jail records show that Grinage is expected to be released on Dec. 20.

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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press:MLive.com, https://www.mlive.com