VIDEO: Senator Arrested for DWI Threatened to Withhold Funds from Sheriff Dept Over Anti-Gun Bill

ESPANOLA: Senator Richard Martinez, who was arrested last week on aggravated DWI charges begged police not to arrest him according to an Albuquerque Journal report. The New Mexico state Senator from Rio Arriba County who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and also represents part of Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Sandoval counties in northern New Mexico spoke with slurred speech and gave inconsistent responses to how much he’d been drinking after he rear-ended another vehicle.

A body cam obtained through IPRA requests by the Santa Fe New Mexican from the officer arresting Senator Martinez shows the man’s responses, “Serious, Son?” And after profanities, “Are you really doing this, son?”

Pro-Gun & Law Enforcement Should Look at Martinez’ Past

Now, a video circulating on social media shows a flashback to Senator Martinez’ comments during the 2019 legislative session where he blasted his own Rio Arriba County Sheriff during debate on anti-gun bill SB 8, which he sponsored, saying with a smirk “I wouldn’t know, I’m not even a gun– uh member, and all I can tell you is, I barely…, my sheriff doesn’t want his vehicles that he requested in capital outlay.” In this remark, Sen. Martinez not only admitted his sheriff was asking for financial help to pay for vehicles, he suggested withholding requested funds because of the sheriff’s opinion on a bill that Sen. Martinez was sponsoring.

Kind of sounds like abuse of power, doesn’t it? Similar to how he tried to tell the officer arresting him after his accident connected to drinking “three glasses of wine.” Sen. Martinez may hope he can push around his title to get what he wants aka not get arrested for aggravated DWI?

Sen. Martinez was speaking in regard to earmarked spending that legislators will advocate for for the counties and municipalities in their districts, but obviously he was willing to throw his hometown sheriff under the bus. That department may have been on the scene the night of his arrest on aggravated DWI charges

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