More than 150 cases alleging that motorists drove while intoxicated have been dismissed as part of a federal public corruption investigation, authorities said, the Associated Press reports. The FBI investigation led the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque to dismiss 152 misdemeanor DWI cases as of Friday morning, the office said. Those cases could still be refiled. “We did this in deference to an ongoing federal investigation,” said Nancy Laflin, a spokeswoman for the office. District Attorney Sam Bregman called the dismissals “a gut punch.” “I’m sick to my stomach for dismissing more than 150 DWI cases, but my prosecutorial ethics require me to dismiss them,” he said in a statement.
Search warrants were served at multiple locations last week, including at the homes of at least three Albuquerque police officers, the Albuquerque Journal reported. No one has been arrested or charged in the investigation as of late last week. For more information on the probe, read KRQE News article. Three Albuquerque police officers combined filed 136 of the 152 DWI cases, according to court records. Some officers have been placed on standard administrative leave and others were reassigned, said Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, who added Monday that “nothing has changed” concerning the status of the officers.
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