An influential Democratic New Mexico state senator is on trial on drunken driving charges in connection with a June car crash. Police say Sen. Richard Martinez of Ojo Caliente refused a breath test to determine his blood-alcohol level after slamming into the back of another vehicle at a stoplight in the community of Española. Police body cam video showed Martinez responding to officers with slurred speech. Martinez has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated drunken driving and reckless driving. In opening statements, his defense attorney argued that Martinez may have become dazed as he struck his head on his car windshield and said that evidence does not show that he was intoxicated.
New Mexico senator fights drunken driving charges at trial
