State Senate President Pro Tem Terry Burton was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk Wednesday night, the third time the Republican from Newton has faced such charges in recent years.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said troopers responded to a one-vehicle crash shortly after 9 p.m. on U.S. 82 near Starkville. They found a pickup driven by Burton in a ditch, according to a statement from MHP Sgt. Derrick Beckom. The senator was not injured.

Burton was booked into the Oktibbeha County Jail and charged with a DUI second offense and failure to maintain proper lane, authorities said. He was released on $1,000 bail. The crash remained under investigation Thursday.

"I know firsthand what it is like to make a mistake and to accept the consequences for those mistakes," Burton said in a statement to the Clarion Ledger. "I respect and applaud law enforcement for always erring on the side of caution. I truly believe this is a misunderstanding."

Burton declined to explain what he meant by a "misunderstanding," or provide further comment.

However, he told WJTV-TV he'd been to dinner with friends in Starkville and decided to stay there for the night. His truck got stuck when he turned to enter a gated neighborhood, he told the TV station, and as he waited for a tow truck to arrive, MHP troopers arrived and he agreed to take a field sobriety test.

Burton has been charged with DUI twice before. He pleaded guilty after a 2014 arrest in Brandon, and in 2016, he was acquitted following a crash in Scott County.

In 2014, Burton said he took Mobic, a non-narcotic prescription painkiller, then forgot he had taken it and had a few drinks with dinner before being pulled over. He said he pleaded guilty the next day.

In 2016, he said the DUI was a false positive, and the result of his drinking cough syrup following a crash where he struck a traffic sign. He said he'd needed something to drink because of dust he'd inhaled after the airbags deployed, and Nyquil and breath spray was all he had with him.

"It was Nyquil, that was all I had in my bag, had nothing else in the vehicle to drink," Burton told the Clarion Ledger at the time. "I used breath spray because my mouth felt like cotton. The judge determined there was a false positive on the test."

If convicted of a second DUI within five years, Burton would face a fine of up to $1,500, five days to a year in jail and at least 10 days of community service. It also would result in a license suspension or the requirement to drive for a year with a device that tests the driver's breath for alcohol.

As Senate president pro tem, Burton is the second-ranking member of the state Senate behind Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and serves as chairman of the Rules Committee. A Reeves spokeswoman did not immediately have a comment on Burton's latest arrest, including whether he may face any consequences at the Capitol.

Burton has served in the Legislature since 1992, and has long been a top lieutenant in Republican leadership. He represents District 31, which includes Lauderdale, Newton and Scott counties.

In September, House Speaker Pro Tem Greg Snowden was arrested and charged with DUI refusal after running into the back of another car at a red light near his home in Meridian.

Snowden, R-Meridian, said he wasn't drunk and hit the car because he was texting and looking at his phone about the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination hearings in Washington. Snowden ended up pleading no contest to the charges.