Indian Cabinet Minister quits over car accident charges

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Elijah Harper, Manitoba's first Indian Cabinet Minister, has resigned after being charged with two offences in connection with an automobile accident.

Harper was charge with leaving the scene of an accident and refusing a breathalyzer test after an early morning incident in Winnipeg.

Harper's lawyer said the penalty for first offences is usually a fine or suspended sentence. Details of the accident were not released, except that nobody was injured.

"I will continue to serve my people," Harper told a news conference Sept. 10.

"I'm a fighter," he added. "I made a mistake. I'm not perfect."