Oklahoma lawmaker from Edmond charged with felony

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker has been charged with a felony crime of being in control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol following his October arrest outside an Edmond, Oklahoma, bar.

Rep. Ryan Martinez, 37, was charged Thursday in Oklahoma County with actual physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated, court records show. If convicted of a felony, Martinez would be prohibited from serving in the state Legislature. The charge against Martinez was first reported by the online media organization The Frontier.

Court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could speak on Martinez’s behalf and a message left with his office seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Edmond police were dispatched to the Patriarch bar on October 26th after someone reported seeing Martinez stumble while getting into a vehicle, according to a police affidavit. When police arrived and found Martinez in the vehicle, he admitted to officers that he had between three and four drinks. Martinez did not submit to a breathalyzer test, but appeared to be intoxicated during standardized field sobriety tests, the affidavit notes.

Martinez was previously charged with a misdemeanor in 2014 for a drunk driving incident, received probation, and had the case expunged from court records, The Oklahoman newspaper reported.