On a personal level, Bontrager said, "I am, of course, devastated about it. I made a bad decision. I, of course, will never make that decision again."
For most people, the misdemeanor arrest would be a mere blip in the news, but as a public official, Bontrager's feeling the pressure of scrutiny.
"I've never been in trouble. When I mess up, I mess up big, I guess," she said.
She hopes to use her bad choice as a warning to others.
"If I can stop anyone at any age from making that decision, I would do it. I don't have a good story to tell," she said.
Bontrager, 42, even responded to readers at eTruth.com Monday night, apologizing.
She was arrested Sunday morning on U.S. 33 southeast of Goshen. Her blood-alcohol content was 0.12 percent, according to the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department.
The charge she faces could carry up to two months in jail. She also faces a driver's license suspension. A misdemeanor conviction wouldn't disqualify her from holding public office, however.
"I'll face my responsibilities from this point and move on," Bontrager said. She's scheduled for an initial court hearing Friday.