Albuquerque legislator to serve day in jail for DWI
Youngblood, up for re-election in Nov., also gets year of probation
ALBUQUERQUE — A judge sentenced state Rep. Monica Youngblood to one day in jail and one year on probation for aggravated drunken driving, a petty misdemeanor case that has proven an embarrassing distraction for the Albuquerque Republican as she seeks re-election.
Whether the case will also be the end of her career in the Capitol will become clear in about a month.
But Youngblood first will have to turn herself in at the Bernalillo County jail by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 19.
Police arrested Youngblood, 42, at a DWI checkpoint late one night in May. An officer said Youngblood smelled of alcohol and performed poorly on field sobriety exams.
Video of the episode shows her pleading with police, mentioning that she was a state lawmaker and citing her work carrying prolaw enforcement legislation. She eventually
declined a breath test, leading to her arrest and brief detention.
A judge last week convicted her of aggravated DWI, her first offense, in a half-day bench trial at Bernalillo Metropolitan Court.
At her sentencing Wednesday, Youngblood told Judge Kevin Fitzwater she would accept the consequences of her penalty.
“I am well aware that actions have consequences, and that is something I have talked about my entire time in public service,” Youngblood said during the brief hearing. “And I am ready to accept the consequences of my actions that evening.”
Youngblood’s attorney, former state Supreme Court Justice Paul Kennedy, asked the court to impose a minimum sentence.
Under state law, a first offense for aggravated drunken driving carries a minimum sentence of 48 hours in jail.
Fitzwater gave Youngblood one day of credit for the period she spent in jail after her arrest. He told her to report to the Metropolitan Detention Center to serve the remaining day no later than Oct. 19.
The judge also ordered Youngblood to serve one year probation, continue using an ignition interlock in her vehicle, participate in a victim impact panel, perform 24 hours of community service, go to a DWI awareness program, and pay court costs and other usual penalties.
Coming in the last weeks before Election Day, her conviction and sentence continue to cast a question mark over whether the Republican Party can hold on to Youngblood’s west-side district in a year when Democrats are angling to pick up a few other legislative seats around Albuquerque.
Youngblood has a fundraising advantage over Democratic challenger Karen Bash. And Bash, a 71-year-old retired minister, has been restrained in speaking about Youngblood’s legal woes.
Still, drunken driving remains a visceral issue for voters. The ordeal also scuffs Youngblood’s image as a tough-on-crime lawmaker. Voted into the state House of Representatives in 2012, Youngblood has been an ally of outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez and has sponsored legislation to reinstate the death penalty as well as toughen criminal sentences.
After her arrest, the Republican nominee for attorney general, Michael Hendricks, called on her to resign.
Even if Youngblood is re-elected, she faces an ethics complaint in the House of Representatives.
The office of Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas has accused her of abusing her political position during her arrest.
Youngblood gave no indication Wednesday that her conviction or sentence would negatively affect her campaign.
The legislator did not say whether she would appeal her conviction.
But speaking to reporters after her sentencing hearing, Youngblood said she thanks her constituents “who all seem to be supportive of what I’ve done and how I’m handling this.”