The Hampden County Sheriff went before a judge Monday after he was arrested and charged with drunk driving over the weekend.

Sheriff Nick Cocchi was arrested outside of the MGM Springfield Casino on Saturday night and charged with a single count of operating under the influence, according to his office. Cocchi was released on his own recognizance following his arrest.

“I’m sorry for not living up to the high standards I’ve set for myself, my staff, and the justice-involved population. I take full responsibility for what happened this past Saturday,” he said in a statement after the arrest.

On Monday, Cocchi was in Springfield District Court for arraignment, when he agreed to enter a plea of “admission to sufficient facts” and accept the penalty of a 45-day license suspension. The case has been “continued without a finding” for the next year.

The Sheriff, first elected in 2016, was quick to publicly own up to what happened.

“Raised by parents who taught me kindness, compassion, and accountability, I’ve always strived to be the best version of myself. Many point fingers in today’s political climate, but I wasn’t raised that way. In both my personal and professional life, I stand by my actions,” he said.

“I look forward to moving forward with the Sheriff’s Office and continuing the great work my team does for our community daily,” he said.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Cocchi began his career with the agency as a part-time corrections officer, before “working his way up the ladder to eventually be elected by the voters of Hampden County to serve as Sheriff.” Cocchi was reelected to a second term in 2022.

Since taking the reins of the department, the Sheriff has “expanded the department’s level of community engagement” and taken specific aim at the opioid epidemic.

“He started a medication-assisted treatment program to help people battling addiction, and he opened a substance use disorder treatment facility to help people involuntarily committed by the courts under the state’s Section 35 law,” his agency profile reads, in part.