Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Lea County's Chief Deputy District Attorney, Jonathan Michael Thomas, resigned from his position a day after he was arrested for drunk driving in Chaves County on Feb. 28.
“The Chaves County Sheriff department got a call that a vehicle had just struck an object out on the highway,” Mike Herrington, Chaves County sheriff, recently told KOB4. "Once they got out there, that’s when they found Jonathan Michael Thomas, basically operating a vehicle intoxicated and we arrested him for that."
According to the criminal complaint against Thomas, investigators noticed "bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcoholic beverages."
In video footage of the arrest, Thomas seemed unable to speak coherently to the officers and told them he had a firearm on him. He was charged with Aggravated DUI and negligent use of a firearm.
Thomas had only recently started his position as the county's fifth chief deputy district attorney in 2019.
“We hate to see a person in any position go down this path especially when you do have a career that’s probably going to cost you everything you have,” Herrington said.
Thomas was released from the county jail on March 1 but his case is still under investigation.
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