NEWS
BCSO lieutenant placed on leave after weekend traffic citation
BCSO said suspension was related to citation, gave no additional details
Published
A lieutenant with the Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office has been placed on administrative leave after being stopped at a DWI checkpoint last weekend and cited for having an open alcohol container.
Paul Montoya, who has been with BCSO since October 2011, has been on leave since Monday, according to Jayme Gonzales, spokesperson for BCSO.
On Sunday, Montoya was charged with having an open container in a vehicle and littering at a DWI checkpoint in Northwest sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He was cited and released.
Montoya did not respond to calls for comment Friday afternoon.
Gonzales said that due to an ongoing internal affairs investigation, the agency was limited in what information could be provided. She confirmed that Montoya鈥檚 leave was related to the traffic incident but did not provide additional details.
A report from the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department detailed the incident.
The incident report states Montoya and a woman were stopped at a DWI checkpoint on Western Trail, near Coors NW, after an APD officer believed the woman driving was potentially under the influence.
The woman was arrested and charged with DWI.
Officers believed Montoya was under the influence as well, and he was 鈥渁rgumentative throughout the encounter,鈥� according to the report.
A public service aide searched the vehicle and allowed Montoya and the woman to gather personal belongings from the truck before it was towed, the report states.
An officer wrote in the report that he was concerned about the PSA searching the vehicle alone with Montoya 鈥渄ue to (Montoya鈥檚) intoxicated state and the fact that they were moving into a darker area that was not readily visible from the checkpoint.鈥�
Montoya removed a 鈥渢ea and vodka鈥� can from the floorboard before dumping the liquid onto the pavement and crushing the can, according to the report. Montoya said the can was not his.
Shortly after signing his citations, Montoya was released when a person came to pick him up, the report states.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
