Las Cruces Police Department Officer Stephanie Carabajal, 26, was arrested and charged with DWI on October 25.
Carabajal blocked traffic with a truck and was found sleeping while the vehicle was still running in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
A Las Cruces police officer received a 911 call of a possible drunken driver late at night, The Las Cruces Sun News reports.
The officer learned from a witness that a blue pickup truck was stopped at an intersection and a woman was asleep and blocking traffic. The witness woke up Carabajal, who then drove off, according to court documents.
The witness followed Carabajal onto U.S. 70 and told officers she was driving 10 mph in the right lane and was swerving.
The truck Carabajal was driving stopped on the right-side shoulder and partially blocked the right lane when Carabajal got out of the vehicle and then sat in the passenger side and passed out.
A Las Cruces officer noticed Carabajal was passed out and went to turn off the vehicle ignition. The officer detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. The complaint also stated Carabajal’s eyes were bloodshot and watery and she was slurring her speech.
Cops asked Carabajal why she was parked on the road, and she allegedly said that the vehicle’s driver had left, but she didn’t remember who it was. Carabajal also was not able to answer where she was coming from and she couldn’t find her driver’s license.
Officers recognized Carabajal because she is a Las Cruces police officer.
Carabajal refused to take a sobriety test. Carabajal was eventually booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center and charged with aggravated driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
After her arrest Carabajal was placed on administrative leave.
