Paul Egan, Kathleen Gray and Chris Haxel

Detroit Free Press and Lansing State Journal

LANSING — A state representative from Marquette was found dead from an apparent suicide Tuesday at his Lansing home, hours after he was released from jail following a Monday arrest for suspected drunken driving, officials said.

A Lansing police crime scene investigation unit was outside a Chestnut Street home that records show is owned by John Kivela, 47, a Democrat from Marquette.

Kivela's manner of death was not released.

As the news began to trickle through the Legislature, the House took on a hushed and somber tone as lawmakers embraced and shed tears.

"This is probably the toughest day that we’ll experience this term," said a tearful Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt. "I truly have no words about the loss of our dear friend John Kivela. As we go forward over the next couple of days, please keep his wife, Sandy, and his children in your prayers."

Gov. Rick Snyder praised Kivela and said he was praying for the late lawmaker's family.

"It's a very sad day," Snyder said. "He had a number of issues in his life and apparently he took his own life."

House Minority Leader Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, said his thoughts and prayers were with Kivela's wife and two children, Shelby and Andrew, both in their 20s.

“He was a champion for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and a strong advocate for working people throughout Michigan," Singh said. "He was my friend, and I will miss him."

Kivela, a former mayor of Marquette, was remembered as a lawmaker who invited members from both sides of the political aisle to his house in Lansing to enjoy a meal. He enjoyed acting as a tour guide when colleagues would travel to Marquette.

"He was a good friend. John just wanted to bring everyone together," said state Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing. "He was going through stuff and we knew it and we thought he was doing OK. You never know what the person next to you, what's going on in their life. We just have to start talking to each other more."

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There will be plenty of regret in the coming days, Schor added. "We didn't see his demons. We knew long ago, but he was doing all the right things..Everyone is going to kick themselves right now for not trying to get a hold of him this morning and show him that we love him."

Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, said he was "shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of Rep. Kivela. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children at this very difficult time. I cannot begin to understand what the Kivela family must be going through. They deserve privacy and respect as they grieve.”

The House adjourned without taking up any items Tuesday and won't be back in session until Thursday.

Kivela’s is the third untimely death of House members in the past year. On June 25, 2016, state Rep. Julie Plawecki, D-Dearborn Heights, died of an apparent heart attack while hiking with her daughters in Oregon. And Rep. Peter Pettalia, R-Presque Isle, died Sept. 12, 2016, when a truck pulled out in front of his motorcycle.

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For the second time in less than two years, Kivela was arrested outside of Lansing on Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Kivela, who was in his third and final term in the House and had announced he would seek a state Senate seat, acknowledged a lifelong drinking problem after his 2015 arrest and said he was seeking help.

At about 4:45 p.m. Monday, a man was stopped on U.S.-127 after the Clinton County Sheriff's Office received 911 calls about a vehicle driving erratically, Sheriff Lawrence Jerue told the Free Press on Tuesday.

The man, who had been arrested before for the same offense, was put through field sobriety tests, arrested, and housed in the county jail overnight, Jerue said. Jerue would not disclose the breath readings the man gave, but said they were high enough to potentially justify a "super drunk charge."

The man was released on bond Tuesday morning and was to return for an arraignment on May 18, he said.

Jerue would not identify the man pending arraignment, but the Free Press confirmed it was Kivela.

In the Nov. 9, 2015, incident, Kivela was speeding at 80 m.p.h., swerving in and out of lanes, and was confused about where he was coming from when a sheriff’s deputy stopped him just north of Lansing, according to records obtained by the Free Press.

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In that incident, Kivela, was charged under the state's "super drunk" law, which is still a misdemeanor but carries higher potential penalties, including jail time for a first offense. He later pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated, first offense, and the "super drunk" charge was dropped.

In the 2015 incident, Kivela had an open bottle of whiskey in his pickup, identified himself as a state representative and pleaded to be let off before blowing nearly three times the legal limit in a series of breath tests, according to a report from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office obtained under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act. A blood alcohol content of .08 is considered the level at which someone can be convicted of drunken driving in Michigan. A reading of at least .17 is required for a "super drunk" charge.

The lawmaker from the Upper Peninsula issued a statement on Nov. 10, 2015, that said he was seeking treatment for alcoholism.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.