New Mexico legislator pleads not guilty to aggravated DWI
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State Sen. Richard Martinez has pleaded not guilty to aggravated DWI and waived his right to an arraignment in court on the charge stemming from a June crash.
The 66-year-old Espanola Democrat entered the not-guilty plea Thursday and no longer must appear in state District Court in Tierra Amarillo for an arraignment Monday as previously scheduled.
Police have said Martinez crashed his Mercedes SUV into the back of a vehicle stopped at a red light in Espanola.
According to police, Martinez refused a blood-alcohol test and could not move his fingers as an officer directed.
Martinez became a state senator in 2000 after serving as a magistrate judge in Rio Arriba County. He has served for years as the chair of the Judiciary Committee.