SANTA FE – A November trail date is being postponed for a New Mexico state senator charged with drunken driving in connection with a car crash.
Court records on Friday showed that the trail date for Sen. Richard Martinez of Ojo Caliente is rescheduled for late December.
Martinez has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated drunken driving and reckless driving.
The former magistrate and influential Democratic chairman of the Senate judiciary committee declined to discuss court proceedings as he attended legislative hearings this week.
Police said Martinez refused a breath test to determine his blood-alcohol level after slamming into the back of another vehicle at a stoplight in June in the community of Española. Police lapel video showed Martinez responding to officers with slurred speech.
Martinez is running for re-election in 2020.
