Roman Catholic Cardinal William Levada arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Hawaii

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 photo, Cardinal William Levada gestures during a media conference at St. Patrick's seminary in Menlo Park, Calif. Levada, 79, the former archbishop of San Francisco, was arrested in Hawaii around midnight Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015 on suspicion of drunken driving and released from jail after posting $500 bail. He has a court date of Sept. 24 in Kona District Court. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File) (The Associated Press)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 photo Cardinal William Levada, the Vatican's chief doctrinal official, speaks at a news conference at the Vatican. Levada, 79, the former archbishop of San Francisco, was arrested in Hawaii around midnight Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015 on suspicion of drunken driving and released from jail after posting $500 bail. He has a court date of Sept. 24 in Kona District Court. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File) (The Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO – A former San Francisco archbishop and one of the highest-ranking American officials of the Roman Catholic Church has been arrested in Hawaii on suspicion of drunken driving.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald (http://bit.ly/1NzuLWU ) reported Monday that Cardinal William Joseph Levada of Menlo Park, California, was stopped last week while driving on the Big Island.

Levada was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and released from jail after posting $500 bail. He is due in Kona District Court on Sept. 24.

In a statement issued through the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the 79-year-old Levada said he regrets his error in judgment and intends to cooperate with authorities.

Authorities say Levada was stopped after a Kona patrol officer saw him swerve while driving on Queen Kaahumanu Highway.

Levada started serving as archbishop of San Francisco in 1995. In 2006 he was named a cardinal.