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State Sen. Cam Ward was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Shelby County Wednesday. (Shelby County Sheriff's Office)

Alabama State Sen. Cam Ward has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Ward, 44, of Alabaster, was arrested in Shelby County on Wednesday. No bond is listed for Ward, but he was released sometime Thursday, according to Shelby County Jail records.

Ward is a Republican state senator who represents District 14, which includes parts of Shelby, Chilton, Jefferson, Bibb and Hale counties.

The Republican senator is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He sponsored legislation this spring to overhaul the state's crowded prison system.

Calls to Ward have not been returned.

Ward was elected to the Alabama Senate in the general election in November 2010 after serving two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives. He was re-elected last November.

He earned a bachelor's degree from Troy State University in 1993 and his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham in 1996. He was admitted to the Alabama Bar Association in September 1996.

Ward specializes in economic development and serves as the executive director of the Industrial Development Board of Alabaster, according to his legislative biography.

He serves on the governing boards for Leadership Shelby County and the American Village in Montevallo, and holds the position of president of the Alabama Law Institute. His biography also states he serves on the State Executive Committee for the Alabama Republican Party.

Updated at 8:12 p.m. on July 1, 2015, to include additional details about Ward's public service. Updated at 7:10 a.m. on July 2, 2015, to indicate Ward was released from the Shelby County Jail.

