A New Mexico police officer accused of driving drunk to work admitted that she had been “drinking all day” when a deputy arrived to investigate her for a possible DWI, according to an incident report.
Sante Fe Police Department Officer Maureen Lujan, 33, was arrested on an aggravated DWI charge on Wednesday, February 11, court records viewed by Luxury Handbag Shopping show.
Lujan has pleaded not guilty to the offense, according to court records, which did not immediately indicate whether she had retained legal representation.
On February 11, a Sante Fe police sergeant told a deputy with the Sante Fe County Sheriff’s Office that he suspected Lujan had been drinking after she arrived at the office that evening, according to an incident report provided to Us.
The sergeant shared that Lujan called him before she arrived at work and shared that “she was going to be late” and that she “sounded upset,” the incident report says.
When Lujan got to the office, she smelled like alcohol and admitted she had been drinking, the sergeant told the deputy, according to the report.
The deputy then met with Lujan and noted her eyes looked “bloodshot and watery.”
“Maureen first stated she was sorry for putting me in this position and advised that she would cooperate,” the deputy wrote in the incident report.
After the deputy asked what Lujan had been drinking, she shared that she drank two Coors Light “tall boys” and had her last drink at around 6:30 p.m., according to the report.
Then, she “also admitted to drinking all day, starting around 11:00 AM,” the incident report says.
Lujan allegedly confirmed that she had driven from her Rio Rancho home to the Santa Fe Police Department that evening.
Following field sobriety tests, which revealed “signs of impairment,” Lujan was arrested on a DWI charge, according to the incident report.
Subsequent breathalyzer tests revealed that her breath alcohol content was “0.19 and 0.18g/210L,” the incident report notes.
In New Mexico, a BAC of .16 or more can result in an aggravated DWI charge, according to the New Mexico Legal Group.
Santa Fe Police Deputy Chief Ben Valdez said in statement to Us via email on Friday, February 13, that Lujan was expected to be put on administrative duty “with no contact with the public effective immediately” until her criminal case — as well as an internal investigation — is resolved.
Lujan is a senior police officer who has worked for the Sante Fe Police Department for two years, Valdez confirmed.
Valdez said that after Lujan arrived at the office on February 11, “She did not go into service after the supervisor observed she was not fit for duty, and she did not have any contact with the public once she reported to work.”
On Thursday, February 12, she was released from the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center on her personal recognizance, court records show. Lujan is due back in court for an initial pretrial hearing set for March 2.
