SILVER CITY, N.M. — A New Mexico State Police official has criticized officers for letting a district attorney off easy after she was stopped in June for driving erratically.
Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo, a spokeswoman for the state police, questioned the Silver City Police Department's decision not to investigate after pulling over prosecutor Francesca Martinez-Estevez for reportedly speeding and swerving. She put some of the blame on a state police officer as well.
"There is absolutely no reason why they could not have or should not have," said Armijo. "On our side, the same thing applies. Our officer clearly did not do as much as she should have. She did not conduct a thorough investigation."
Lapel video captured one local officer describing Martinez-Estevez as "loaded," but police didn't give her a field sobriety test or citation during the June traffic stop.
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The video also shows Martinez-Estevez giving herself a practice sobriety test and losing her balance walking heel to toe in a straight line. Silver City police reports describe her as having slurred speech and difficulty handling her iPhone.
Martinez-Estevez referred comment to her attorney, Jim Foy, who said the incident has been blown out of proportion.
The nearly two-hour stop was just four days after Martinez-Estevez won a Democratic primary election seeking a second term as district attorney for Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties.
No charges will be filed in the case, according to Silver City Police Chief Ed Reynolds. He said his officers' actions are under investigation.
Armijo said she couldn't say whether the State Police officer involved was disciplined because it's a confidential personnel matter. But she did say that the situation "has been addressed internally."
"It's kind of a black eye for us," she said. "It should have happened differently."
