A Democratic state senator was arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving.
ABC News reported that New Mexico state Sen. Richard Martinez (D) was arrested and charged Friday with reckless driving and driving while intoxicated after he collided with another driver in Espanola.
DWI devastates Democrat
The Democratic lawmaker was taken into custody Friday night after a collision at an intersection. A driver told Espanola police that Martinez rear-ended his car at a red light.
Martinez and the people in the car he struck all suffered minor injuries. The 66-year-old Democrat, who was alone in his SUV at the time, was taken to a hospital and treated.
According to Espanola police, Martinez admitted to drinking and failed a field sobriety test. The Democrat reportedly complained, “Are you serious? Jesus Christ!” when being booked and refused to take a breathalyzer test.
Police said they could smell alcohol in his vehicle and that he changed his story about how much he had to drink a few times. Martinez has five days to appear in court.
Community reacts
Martinez is a former magistrate judge and has represented New Mexico’s Senate District 5 for nearly two decades. The area comprises parts of Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties.
Espanola residents who talked to Albuquerque TV station KRQE, an affiliate of Fox and CBS, defended the embattled senator.
“He’s a very down-to-earth person, very involved in the community, and my first concern that is he okay,” said Espanola local Julian Garcia. Another local, Victor Valdez said he was “sad that that’s happened because he’s only human like the rest of us,” and added, “I hope he’s okay.”
Martinez has stirred controversy in the past with his support of strict gun control. He was key to passing a bill that required background checks for almost all gun purchases, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The law prompted opposition from defiant counties and sheriffs who declared “Second Amendment sanctuaries” to protect gun rights.
Career in peril
Martinez’s DWI arrest comes after the political career of a young Republican, Monica Youngblood, imploded following a DWI conviction last year. The former New Mexico state representative was seen as a promising politician before she lost re-election amid the scandal.
For his part, Martinez’s Senate seat is up for re-election next year. University of New Mexico political science professor Gabe Sanchez said that the DWI scandal could be a career-ender for the rear-ender, even if he’s not convicted — not that an expert needed to be consulted to make that prediction.
“I think with the political environment these days, I think it’s difficult for anyone to weather, particularly in a state like this with the drunk driving issues that we’ve had,” Sanchez told KRQE over the phone.
It looks like the old blood may follow the young blood on this one.
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