ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A lawmaker was charged with drunken driving, hours after attending a bill-signing ceremony to highlight the state's newest effort to crack down on DWI offenders.
Republican Joe Thompson, 37, the House minority whip, apologized after his arrest early Wednesday.
"While I am terribly embarrassed by this situation, I am thankful that no one else was involved," he said. "I will follow the advice of my family and physician to obtain whatever treatment is necessary.
Police said they pulled over Thompson after his vehicle rolled too far into an intersection at a red light. Sgt. Todd Armendariz said there was a "strong smell of alcohol" around Thompson.
Police said he registered a 0.12 and 0.11 on breath-alcohol tests, above the legal limit of 0.08.
He told the officer he had a little alcohol at dinner but "did not think the alcohol he drank counted due to it being consumed several hours prior to the stop," the police report said.
During their recent legislative session, lawmakers passed several bills cracking down on repeat drunken drivers. But none would affect Thompson if he is convicted.
Thompson, first elected to the House in 1998, said he will drop his recently announced campaign for a seat on the state Public Regulation Commission.
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