New charges expected in Los Alamos DWI case

SANTA FE — Aggravated drunken driving charges against a Los Alamos County employee and husband of the county clerk are expected to be refiled, according to a spokeswoman for the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

A Ford pickup driven by Sammy Maestas, 43, a supervisor for Los Alamos County’s Department of Public Utilities, was pulled over by a Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputy on U.S. 84/285 about 8:30 p.m. March 24 after the deputy saw the truck drift into another lane while traveling 54 mph in a 65 mph zone. After pulling Maestas over, the deputy detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, according to an incident report.

Maestas initially denied he’d had anything to drink, but then said he’d had a beer, according to police reports. He refused to take field sobriety tests or a breath test, which resulted in the aggravated drunk driving charge. Asked whether he was refusing the tests because he was carrying a commercial driver’s license, Maestas said that was “part of the reason,” according to the officer’s report.

After Maestas was stopped, another vehicle, driven by Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas, pulled up. A passenger in that vehicle got out and told the deputy that Maestas had “a few” margaritas at dinner.

Charges of aggravated DWI and failing to maintain a traffic lane were dropped March 25, the same day they were filed. But DA’s Office spokeswoman Sasha Anderson said the charges would likely be refiled in 30 to 60 days after attorneys conduct discovery in the case.