Eastern New Mexico man faces 9th DWI charge

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — The founder of an eastern New Mexico halfway house is facing his ninth drunken driving charge. The Eastern New Mexico News reports Randall Pruit was arrested Saturday in Clovis after he was spotted driving erratically. A criminal complaint says the 54-year-old told police he had been drinking but refused to perform field sobriety tests. He was booked on charges of speeding, failure to maintain traffic lane and aggravated driving under the influence. A motion for pretrial detention filed Monday in magistrate court said Pruit was charged with his seventh DWI in October 2003 and then again in February 2009. The Eastern New Mexico News archives show Pruit went to prison for a DWI conviction and spent two years behind bars. It was not known if Pruit had an attorney.