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New Mexico DA faces charges over DWI traffic stop

SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — A southwestern New Mexico district attorney who was facing calls to resign following a suspected DWI traffic stop is being accused by the state's top prosecutor of misusing her position as a public official. The New Mexico Attorney General's Office on Thursday filed a criminal complaint against Francesca Martinez-Estevez, whose district includes Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties. She's facing five misdemeanor counts that include reckless driving and the use of the powers and resources of public office to obtain personal benefits. The charges stem from a June 2016 traffic stop near Silver City and subsequent fallout. Martinez-Estevez's state-issued Dodge Charger was spotted swerving and speeding. Lapel video captured one local officer describing Martinez-Estevez as "loaded," but police did not give her a field sobriety test or a citation. Her attorney has previously characterized the investigation as political grandstanding.