Tacoma City Councilman Ryan Mello who was accused of drunken drive in a Jan. 20 arrest will avoid a criminal record if he follows the conditions of a plea deal with Kitsap County prosecutors.

The deal approved Friday calls for Mello to pay $900 in fees, attend a DUI victim's panel and seek chemical dependency treatment.

Mello told The News Tribune Tuesday ( http://bit.ly/V9z949) he made a mistake and is sorry. He says he's taking responsibility and doing everything the prosecutor asked.

Deputy Prosecutor Claire Bradley says the deal is fairly standard for first-time offenders whose blood-alcohol level was close to the legal limit.

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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com