Police video shows New Mexico representative’s frustration during sobriety test – Santa Fe New Mexican
Newly released police video of state Rep. Georgene Louis’ arrest late Sunday night on a charge of aggravated DWI shows a polite encounter with an officer that becomes increasingly tense as Louis undergoes a sobriety test.
The Albuquerque Democrat first refuses to remove her glasses for an eye test, then repeatedly complains about the cold as Santa Fe police Sgt. Heinz De Luca tries to coax her to complete the process.
De Luca wrote in his report Louis’ blood-alcohol level registered as 0.17, more than twice the legal limit for driving. In addition to DWI, she was cited for speeding and having no evidence of insurance or vehicle registration. She was booked in the Santa Fe County jail early Monday and released hours later.
State Rep. T. Ryan Lane, an Aztec Republican who works as an attorney, said in a statement he arrived at the police station Monday morning in response to a call from Louis.
“I drove to the station and spoke with the arresting officer, who let me know that they were no longer questioning her, and I did not think my services were needed,” he said in the statement. “I responded to Georgene’s call for the purposes of possible limited legal representation, and also as a friend. I do not represent Georgene Louis in this case.”
De Luca pulled over Louis’ 2019 Honda Civic around 11:30 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of St. Francis Drive and San Mateo Road, where, video shows, he tells her she was “speeding a little bit” — he later would say she had been driving over 60 mph in a 45 mph zone — and she apologizes.
“Sorry,” she says, De Luca’s body camera video shows. “I was in a hurry to get home.”
De Luca tells Louis he detects an odor of alcohol. Louis, 44, admits she had two glasses of beer at a Super Bowl halftime party, then says she had “two-ish” or three cocktails — Tito’s vodka and soda. She tells the sergeant she is tired because she is a state legislator who hasn’t had a lot of sleep during the session, which is set to end at noon Thursday.
As he prepares to administer the field sobriety test, De Luca asks Louis to remove her glasses. “But I see better with my glasses,” especially at night, Louis argues again and again.
“I’m not like the song, ‘I Wear My Sunglasses at Night,’ ” she adds.
Eventually, the officer agrees to allow her to wear her glasses during the test.
During another part of the test, in which the sergeant tells her she will walk on a white line, Louis starts before he finishes providing instructions. He asks her to take her hands out of her pockets, and she objects, citing the temperature of 36 degrees. Clearly frustrated, Louis insists she is trying to cooperate.
“You understand, officer, it’s crazy cold,” she says. “I want to get home. I’ve been working all day long.”
After struggling with the balance portion of the test, Louis is calm as De Luca handcuffs her and places her under arrest.
