You drink, you scoot, you lose.
Less than a week after the city unveiled new electric scooters, police say a Belen woman was caught bar-hopping on one around Downtown Albuquerque.
Lily Romero, 26, is charged with aggravated DWI and driving the wrong way after she was pulled over Wednesday. She is accused of driving the wrong way on Second NW, near Lomas, and she failed a Breathalyzer test.
“We are once again reminding the public that people who drive e-scooters have to follow traffic laws,” Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said. “This incident is a reminder that driving any motorized vehicle while drunk can have dangerous consequences.”
Last Friday, 250 of the scooters, belonging to the company Zagster, were made available to the public after City Councilor Pat Davis pushed legislation permitting e-scooter rentals in Albuquerque.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, an officer stopped Romero after seeing her scoot through the intersection of Lomas and Second headed the wrong way, without stopping
Romero told police she was heading from Marble Brewery to a bar Downtown. The officer noticed “signs of intoxication,” including watery eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol. Romero said she had two beers beforehand.
Police say the officer explained that the scooter was considered a motor vehicle and it was illegal to ride one while intoxicated.
According to the complaint, she performed poorly on a standard sobriety test and blew twice the presumed level of intoxication on a Breathalyzer.
