Assemblyman Roger Hernandez arrested on suspicion of drunk driving

Police in the northern California town of Concord are pursuing the prosecution of a state assemblyman for driving under in the influence early Tuesday morning.

Police arrested Roger Hernandez, a West Covina Democrat, at 2:06 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Concord. Hernandez' district includes Baldwin Park.

"After dinner I had a couple of drinks and because of the late hour I decided to stay in the town of Concord," Hernandez told the Sacramento Bee. He said Concord police followed him into his hotel parking lot, told him he had failed to signal when he made the turn and administered a field sobriety test. Hernandez said he refused a breathalyzer test.

"I told them I didn't believe that was necessary. I'd only had a couple of drinks and I had safely, without putting anybody in danger, made my (way) to the hotel," he told the Bee Thursday morning.

The Bee reported that Hernandez said he had "two, maybe three glasses of wine over the course of a period longer than four hours after dinner. I was not drunk … I felt very clear and coherent. I felt very comfortable driving." Asked if he was alone, Hernandez said, "I won't get into that."

A 29-year-old female passenger was "released at the scene," according to a news release from Concord Police Chief Guy Swanger.

Hernandez was stopped by a Concord office for weaving within driving lanes and failure to use turns signals on Concord Avenue at Meridian Park Boulevard, Swanger said.

Upon completion of a field sobriety test, the officer determined there was probable cause to arrest Hernandez, police reported. He was taken to the Concord police jail, where a blood test was conducted, and Hernandez was then transported to the Martinez Detention Facility, Swanger said.

Once Concord police receive results of the blood test, a determination will be made whether to forward the matter to the district attorney's office for review, Swanger said.