ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – News 13 has a first-time look at the arrest of an Albuquerque police officer after he was pulled over for speeding on I-40 and suspected of driving under the influence just a day after Christmas.
“What’s up man,” a Bernalillo County Sherrif’s Office (BCSO) deputy asks the driver, 31-year-old Truitt Bushnell, after pulling him over. “How’s it going? Why you are driving like that?” the deputy.
Deputies pulled Bushnell over on I-40 going eastbound, just a day after Christmas last year. According to the deputy’s report, Bushnell was driving 80 miles per hour in a 45-speed limit zone. Deputies found out the driver was an off-duty Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officer.
BCSO Deputy: “So you still currently work for APD?”
Bushnell: “Yeah. I got to be at work tomorrow.”
BCSO Deputy: “Okay.”
The deputy’s report also states that Bushnell was having trouble staying in his lane. When speaking with him, the deputy said he could smell alcohol from the vehicle and that his eyes were bloodshot.
“How much have you had to drink,” the deputy questions Bushnell. “Nothing at all? You’re speeding. You failed to maintain your lane. As I’m standing at the window, I smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage. Now you’re chewing gum.”
Bushnell denied drinking any alcohol, but the deputy didn’t buy it. “He knows what’s going on,” the deputy said. “Says he hasn’t consumed alcohol.”
He then asks Bushnell to perform a standard field sobriety test. Bushnell refuses saying prior physical injuries would hinder him.
“I don’t have my ankle brace on,” Bushnell explains. “I broke my ankle in a gunfight as a cop.”
The deputy then asks if Bushnell will perform other sobriety tests, such as a finger dexterity and vision test. He accepts however, the deputy asks if Bushnell would give them a breath sample through a breathalyzer test. He refused and was arrested at the scene.
“Go ahead and put your hands behind your back, sir,” the deputy said.
Bushnell was booked into jail that night. According to APD, Bushnell was placed on administrative leave following the incident. News 13 reached out to APD Friday night to confirm if that is still the case but has not heard back.