A Safford police officer working stationary radar in front of the chamber of commerce on Sunday March 1, 2020 at approximately 2:00 AM, observed a car approaching on Highway 70 without any headlights on. The officer pulled behind the vehicle as it passed and noticed that the vehicle didn’t have a license plate. The officer conducted a traffic stop at 10th Avenue and Main Street.
The officer approached the driver and noticed that the his eyes were bloodshot and watery, and he appeared intoxicated. The officer asked for the driver’s license, but the man said that he did not have a driver’s license and handed the officer a New Mexico ID card. The officer asked why the man didn’t have a license on the truck. The man said that he had just bought it and had not registered it yet.
The officer asked how much the man had to drink but he didn’t answer. The officer asked him if he could remember how much he had to drink and the man said, “no.”
An officer working a DUI detail was called to the scene to handle the investigation. He asked the driver to rate his level of intoxication on a scale of 0 to 10. The man said that he could not answer the question and didn’t want to.
After failing some field sobriety tests, the man was placed under arrest and transported to the Safford Police Station for processing and blood draw. The man is facing charges of Aggravated DUI and driving on a suspended or revoked license. The man’s vehicle was towed to the impound.
