Socorro worker gets DWI on the clock

THE CLOCK AND THIS JUST ADDS TO HIS LIST OF DWI S SO WE ASKED THE MAYOR WHY THAT CITY WORKER STILL HAS A JOB CRIS ORNELAS IS JUST BACK FROM SOCORRO HE S HERE WITH THE STORY YOU LL SEE ONLY ON FOUR DAVID RICHARD CHAVEZ IS KNOWN AROUND SOCORRO AS RICHIE AND HE HAS A LONG DWI RECORD DATING BACK TO 1990 WHEN HE WAS POPPED FOR DRUNK DRIVING ON THE CLOCK LAST WEEK IT wasn t THE FIRST TIME HIS JOB AND HIS DRINKING CLASHED THIS QUIET CORNER IN A SOCORRO NEIGHBORHOOD IS WHERE 38 YEAR OLD RICHIE CHAVEZ WAS STOPPED BY LOCAL POLICE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING THEY SAY HE REEKED OF BOOZE THEN BLEW MORE THAN TWICE THE LEGAL LIMIT ON A BREATHALYZER WHATS WORSE HE WAS TECHNICALLY ON THE CLOCK FOR THE CITY AT THE TIME 6 15-6 24 he was in duty he did have a responsibility he has to check the sewer plant on saturday he had to check it on sunday to make sure it was operating thats his job he gets paid for that IN THE TEN YEARS CHAVEZ HAS WORKED FOR THE CITY S SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT HE S BEEN ARRESTED FOR DWI THREE TIMES ADD THAT TO A DWI FROM 1990 AND HE HAS THREE CONVICTIONS AND FOUR ARRESTS YET HE HAS ONLY DONE ABOUT 60 DAYS IN JAIL WHEN CHAVEZ WAS POPPED IN 2001 IT NEARLY COST HIM HIS JOB 5 01 his license was suspended he was given a reprimand and he was told he could no longer use any city vehicle CHAVEZ WAS ALSO DEMOTED FROM A POSITION THAT REQUIRED HIM TO DRIVE A CITY VEHICLE AND HIS PAY WAS CUT AND NOW THAT HE S BEEN ARRESTED AGAIN HE S ON PAID LEAVE WHILE THE CITY INVESTIGATES SOME PEOPLE IN SOCORRO SAY THE CITY shouldn t GIVE CHAVEZ WHAT THEY SAY IS A PAID VACATION 8 55-9 03 thats a constitutional problem its not wether we want to give the guy a paid vacation its a constitutional problem you have to give the guy due process SOCORRO S MAYOR SAYS IT WILL TAKE 3 OR 4 DAYS TO FINISH THEIR INVESTIGATION AFTER THAT CHAVEZ COULD BE FIRED WE LL KEEP AN EYE ON IT AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS