LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Documents released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday confirm Nevada state Sen. Edgar Flores was above the legal limit after his Sept. 12 arrest for driving under the influence.
According to a new statement from LVMPD, two blood tests taken after Flores's arrest confirmed a blood alcohol content of 0.082 and 0.062, respectively. The legal limit for Nevada drivers is 0.08.
The blood tests were taken hours after his arrest. One test was taken at 7:35 a.m., and the second test was taken at 8:35 a.m.
According to previous information from police, officers found Flores "sleeping in the driver's seat" at 3:20 a.m. at the intersection of North Lamb Boulevard and East Lake Mead Boulevard.
Flores told officers he had one beer around midnight and "must have fallen asleep," according to Flores in body camera footage Channel 13 obtained.
In a statement after his arrest, Flores's campaign wrote that he "voluntarily submitted to a breathalyzer and a blood test at the station," and that the breathalyzer "confirmed a 0.00 BAC, and we are confident the blood test will confirm the same."
You can read the complete statement below:
Senator Edgar Flores was stopped early Friday morning after a long day of work, community events, evening exercise, and a late dinner. He fully cooperated with law enforcement, voluntarily submitted to both a breathalyzer and a blood test at the station, and was released on his own recognizance. The breathalyzer confirmed a 0.00 BAC, and we are confident the blood test will confirm the same.
The Senator acknowledges he was tired. While he and his team respect the officers’ diligence in ensuring public safety, our campaign is also reviewing whether his rights and privacy were properly respected.
Senator Flores remains fully focused on serving the community, as he has for more than 10 years as an Assemblyman, State Senator, and Immigration Attorney.
According to LVMPD, Flores denied the preliminary breath test at the traffic stop location.
In the days following the arrest, LVMPD also released several body-worn camera videos from officers who stopped Flores and performed field sobriety tests. The videos we reviewed don't show Flores receiving a breath test.
After we reviewed the arrest report and body camera video and couldn't find documentation of the breath test Flores says he received, Channel 13 reached out to Flores's campaign again on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Our request went unanswered until Tuesday, shortly after LVMPD released additional information about the breath test.
According to police, Flores took the breath test as part of LVMPD's standard policy for DUI arrests. Police say those arrested for alcohol-related offenses have to take a breath test that confirms a BAC below 0.04 to be released from jail.
The breath test Flores took was administered at 2:46 p.m., almost 12 hours after the initial traffic stop, police stated. At that time, police say, Flores's BAC was 0.00.
On Tuesday, after reaching out to Flores's campaign again, Channel 13 received this statement:
“As Senator Flores noted in his initial statement, he voluntarily completed both a breathalyzer and a blood test at the station. As of now, Senator Flores and his legal team have not received any information or documentation from Metro. They remain confident that his name will be fully cleared and reaffirm his commitment to working with both the community and law enforcement to ensure transparency and accountability.”