Kennedy to enter drug rehab after auto crash

U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy will enter rehabilitation for addiction to prescription pain medication Friday evening after a highly publicized car crash near the Capitol.

Photo: Kennedy to enter drug rehab after auto crash

Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, plans to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The congressman announced his decision during a new conference Friday afternoon, then planned to travel to Minnesota later in the day.

Kennedy, who has struggled with addiction and depression, said he had checked into the Mayo Clinic over the Christmas holidays and returned to Congress "reinvigorated and healthy," reports AP.

"I have been fighting this chronic disease since a young man," Kennedy said, adding that he will return to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He said he wanted to continue working for his constituents in Rhode Island.

The announcement came shortly after U.S. Capitol Police reported that the younger Kennedy was charged with "failure to give full time and attention" and "failure to keep in proper lane" after he crashed his car Thursday night into a security barrier near the U.S. Capitol, informs Reuters.

O.Ch.