After being arrested for driving while drunk in February, a judge from Cranston, Rhode Island ordered Democratic state lawmakers to install brethren in their vehicles to continue driving.
Rep. Enrique Sanchez, a progressive Democrat who serves as a Rhode Island House of Representatives, was drawn to the early hours of February 3 when he allegedly parked at the intersection.
Footage of the traffic stop bodycam that led to his arrest shows Sanchez providing a red debit card to the police officer in place of his driver's license before telling her he has nothing to drink.
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Rhode Island Rep. Enrique Sanchez was arrested for a DUI on February 3, 2025 in Cranston, Rhode Island. (Rhode Island Police Station, Cranston)
The footage shows Sanchez repeatedly stuffing his hands into his pocket, despite repeated orders from one police officer to remove his hands from his pocket.
“How much do you drink?” one of the other officers on the scene asked Sanchez. “You're clear about alcohol, just be honest. You smell alcohol.”
When officers asked Sanchez if he would take the field sovereignty test, he asked if he could order an Uber if he refused. Officers told him he wouldn't be able to order an Uber, and he refused to take an outdoor sobriety test on the scene.
On his first court appearance on the day of his arrest, Sanchez pleaded not guilty to driving while drunk, and later pleaded not guilty to a charge of refusing to a chemical test and failing to comply with traffic control devices.
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Rep. Enrique Sanchez is on his desk in his Rhode Island home room. (Kris Craig/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Court records show that Sanchez's license was suspended on February 19 by Cranston Magistrate William Noonan. However, he was given a difficult license that allowed him to drive his day job and state home between 8am and 8pm, provided that he would install an ignition interlock brace aliser in his car.
During a brief pretrial meeting on February 24th, the case was moved from the district court to the state's superior court.
Sanchez's arrest calls for his resignation. On February 10th, he spoke to the arrest on X-thread after a week of silence.
In the thread, he noted that he appreciated his constituents for their patience and explained his work and his passion for the people of Rhode Island.
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Rep. Enrique Sanchez will tell reporters about his DUI arrest before the Rhode Island House session begins on February 11, 2025. (Kris Craig/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
He didn't apologise, instead saying, “I don't let my personal actions distract me from issues where my real importance is: my community's family, business, and concerns.”
“Sometimes we are too close to something to see in it our place in it,” he said. “This experience gave me new clarity about my responsibility, not just in this room, but in the trust my community has placed within me. I take that trust seriously and continue to work hard every day of my life.”
Sanchez's lawyer is former Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood.
In 2023, Sanchez submitted his RI H5461. This is a bill that gives illegal immigrants the right to vote in the state.
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The bill was submitted for further research a month after it was introduced.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Sanchez and Harwood for comment.
