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Boston Globe
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
DUI charge dropped against R.I. lawmaker after he admits to refusing chemical test
Sanchez did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday. Advertisement The 28-year-old Democratic lawmaker was Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up According to officials, officers noticed a 'strong odor of alcohol' coming from Sanchez, who allegedly had 'bloodshot watery eyes' and 'seemed confused.' Body camera footage Sanchez declined to take a field sobriety test and later refused a breathalyzer test, but while he was in custody, he told officers he did drink, a police report claims. Advertisement He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. In February, a judge ordered Sanchez's license to be preliminarily suspended, but also granted him a 'conditional hardship license' allowing him to drive between home and work According to court records, Traffic Tribunal Magistrate Mark P. Welch on Friday ordered Sanchez's license to be suspended for 30 days, retroactive to Feb. 19. He also ordered Sanchez to receive alcohol treatment, complete 10 hours of community service, and pay a $200 fine as well as a $500 highway safety assessment, and a Department of Health assessment of $200. Sanchez must also keep the breathalyzer interlock installed in his vehicle for six months, the order states. Elected in 2022, Sanchez has previously said 'I love my work and the work I do to help better the lives of all the people of this state,' Sanchez said in a Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State rep pleads guilty to refusing breathalyzer during February DUI arrest
Rep. Enrique Sanchez, a Providence Democrat, is shown during a vehicle stop in Cranston early Monday. (Still from Cranston police body camera courtesy of Cranston Police Department) A state lawmaker accused of driving while intoxicated in Cranston in February can keep his license, but must use a breath alcohol ignition device for six months after pleading guilty to a traffic court citation. State Rep. Enrique Sanchez, a Providence Democrat, pleaded guilty Friday before the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal to refusing to take a breathalyzer test in exchange for prosecutors dropping a citation for failing to obey traffic control devices. He had pleaded not guilty to the citations during his initial appearance Feb. 19. Sanchez, 28, must complete 10 hours of community service, undergo alcohol treatment, and use a breathalyzer-activated ignition device for six months, according to an order from Traffic Tribunal Magistrate Mark Welch. Welch had also ordered Sanchez's license suspended 30 days, but the ruling was retroactive to Feb. 19 — meaning it's since been reinstated. Sanchez still faces a misdemeanor DUI charge in Providence County Superior Court, where a pre-trial conference is scheduled for Friday, April 4. The second-term lawmaker deferred inquiries Monday to his attorney, former Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has reserved comment on Sanchez's Traffic Tribunal plea as the criminal case continues. Sanchez was arrested by Cranston Police on Feb. 3 after an officer spotted him behind the wheel of a 2017 Nissan Altima stopped at a green light on Reservoir Avenue at 3 a.m. The arresting officer claimed Sanchez was disoriented and smelled of alcohol, which Sanchez has denied. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
