Democratic legislator from Rhode Island arrested for driving under the influence instructed to have a breathalyzer device installed in their vehicle

After being arrested for driving while intoxicated in February, a judge in Cranston, Rhode Island, ordered a Democratic state lawmaker to install a breathalyzer in his vehicle in order to continue driving. 

Rep. Enrique Sanchez, a progressive Democrat who serves in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, was pulled over in the early morning hours of Feb. 3 after allegedly parking in an intersection. 

Bodycam footage of the traffic stop that led to his arrest shows Sanchez offering the police officer a red debit card in lieu of his driver’s license before telling her that he had not had anything to drink.  

Rep. Enrique Sanchez talks to reporters about his DUI arrest before the start of the Rhode Island House session on Feb. 11, 2025. (Kris Craig/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

He did not apologize and instead said, “I will not let my personal actions become a distraction from the issues that truly matter – the families, businesses, and concerns of my community.”

“Sometimes, we are too close to something to fully see our place in it,” he said. “This experience has given me a renewed clarity about my responsibilities – not just in this chamber, but in the trust my community has placed in me. I take that trust seriously and will continue to work hard every day of my life.” 

Sanchez’s attorney is former Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood.

In 2023, Sanchez filed RI H5461, a bill to give illegal immigrants the right to vote in the state. 

The bill was tabled for further study a month after it was introduced.

Fox News Digital reached out to Sanchez and Harwood for comment.