In a private email sent to friends and family Sunday night, state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, the champion of last session's medical marijuana legislation, confessed to opening an account on Ashley Madison, a website devoted to extra-marital affairs.
Peake confirmed existence of the email this morning. From the note:
Through tears and heartache, much pain and anguish, and with intense professional counseling, we made the decision to work to save our marriage. Her powerful and merciful gift of forgiveness helped us make it through some very dark and lonely days, and come out the other side with a stronger relationship and marriage. Forgiveness is indeed life-changing, and miraculous.
In the note, Peake also said he would be “taking some time” to evaluate his status as a House member. Peake recently lost a House Republican caucus race for majority leaders.
In May, the Macon lawmaker was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to head up the new Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis, which will make recommendations for a system of creating an in-state growth and distribution system to provide the drug. Peake is also one of the governor's floor leaders in the House.
Last month, hackers released detailed records on millions of people registered with the website, a month after an illegal break-in at Ashley Madison's parent company, Toronto-based Avid Life Media Inc.
Toronto Police acting staff Superintendent Bryce Evans last week told the Associated Press that the hack is having an "enormous social and economic fallout."
About the Author
