North Dakota
North Dakota Lawmaker Arrested For DUI, Goes on Xenophobic Rant
A North Dakota politician put his foot square in his mouth after he went on a xenophobic and homophobic rant while he was being arrested – and filmed! – for driving drunk.
Republican lawmaker Nico Rios was cruising around the district he represents in Williston the night of December 15, when police on patrol saw his car swerving and pulled him over.
The officers walked up to Rios behind the wheel and turned on their bodyworn cameras, leading to the shocking 21-minute encounter that has now gone viral.
Check out the footage … the cops ask a series of questions to Rios who is slurring his words and getting caught in lies, falsely claiming at one point that he doesn’t have an open beer bottle in his car.
Rios also gives an expired registration to the officers, who order him out of his vehicle for a field sobriety exam.
During the test, Rios becomes agitated and starts hurling threats at the officers, accusing them of “f—king picking on me” and promising they will regret it because of who he is.
Rios then rejects a request to take a breathalyzer from one of the officers, who promptly arrests him, placing him in handcuffs.
On the ride to the police station, Rios starts antagonizing the British-born officer, poking fun at his accent and claiming his country is being overrun by “f—king migrants and refugees.”
In the stationhouse, Rios makes a homophobic remark to the officer, who informs his supervisor about the litany of derogatory comments from the lawmaker.
Rios was charged with DUI and refusing to provide a chemical test. After he was released from custody, Rios posted a statement on X, expressing his deep sorrow and regret to the people of his district for making a “mistake.” He did not issue an apology to the officer he offended.