Typically when you hear about a New Mexico motorcycle accident when the driver admits to drinking at a bar beforehand and tests positive for alcohol, you can expect DWI charges to follow. However, apparently the rules change when the suspected New Mexico drunk driver is a police officer.Steve Lynn of the The Daily Times out of Farmington, San Juan County, reported that following the accident in which the police officer injured his motorcycle passenger, there were no criminal charges other than a misdemeanor careless driving citation. While New Mexico drunk driving lawyers know that the law allows for DWI charges even if the blood test is not the requisite .08, apparently nobody felt compelled to file such charges against the police officer.
Instead, the officer received an “unbecoming conduct” violation for which it is unclear how he will be disciplined. As Albuquerque motorcycle accident lawyers, we handle numerous cases throughout New Mexico and into the Farmington, San Juan County, area. We also encounter numerous cases in which the government, or police officers contribute to causing the accident. You always hoped that the officer will be treated just as if he was any other motorist, however, that is not always the case.
Although I admittedly have not reviewed the police report nor have any inside information into whether or not the Farmington police officer was in fact driving his motorcycle drunk, this case smells.