Santa Fe fire cadet charged with drunken driving

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A Santa Fe firefighter cadet, just a week from graduation, is in trouble and probably without a job.

Police say he was driving drunk early Sunday morning when he crashed in downtown Santa Fe.

Gregory Martinez, 23, is charged with aggravated DWI and careless driving.

Cheryl Scott was a little confused when she came into work at Touchstone Gallery in downtown Santa Fe.

“I found a pile of car rubble in the center of the sidewalk in front of our window,” Scott said.

Crews are repairing pillars outside the gallery Monday.

Police say it is because Martinez crashed up onto the sidewalk near the intersection of Galisteo and San Francisco Street at about midnight Sunday.

Police say Martinez tried to get away after the crash, but a security guard working nearby handcuffed him to a wall until police arrived.

“The breath alcohol results of him blowing into breathalizer were .18 and .19, which is over double the legal limit,” said Capt. Aric Wheeler with Santa Fe Police.

Martinez was fifteen weeks into his training with the Santa Fe Fire Department. One more week and he would have finished.

Police say Martinez had minor injuries from the crash.

Scott was relieved to learn no one else was hurt.

“That is what I kept being grateful for,” Scott said. “I kept thinking about an accident like this happening with pedestrians on the street—very tragic situation.”

A Santa Fe fire spokesman says the department takes these matters very seriously and, although they've made a decision about Martinez' future, they aren't ready to announce what that decision is until they meet with him.

Martinez was released from jail Sunday on a $1,000 bond.