Congressional Ethics Office head arrested for DUI after crashing into private residence: report

Office of Congressional Ethics head Omar Ashmawy faces DUI charges after crashing into a private residence in Pennsylvania last month, court documents reveal.

Specifically, Ashmawy faces charges of "driving under the influence, careless driving, driving on roadways laned for traffic and restrictions on alcohol in a vehicle," according to court filings Yahoo News obtained.

Authorities arrested him on Sept. 10 after he crashed into both the car and home of Hector Fernandez, in Matamoros, Penn. Fernandez called the police, who quickly arrived on the scene. Ashmawy refused to submit to a sobriety test and the officers detained him on suspicion of driving under the influence.

He has headed the OCE for 12 years. A statement from the OCE indicated it was reviewing Ashmawy's case. "We take this matter very seriously and the Board will be reviewing the circumstances surrounding it," the statement read, per the outlet. "In the meantime, Mr. Ashmawy has been placed on leave to deal with the issues that contributed to this incident. Helen Eisner will serve as the Acting Staff Director during his absence."

The outlet further highlighted Ashmawy's past run-ins with law enforcement, including his alleged participation in a 2015 bar fight and a prior investigation into his alleged use of his position to influence local law enforcement. He never faced charges and settled a civil lawsuit in relation to the bar fight out of court.