South County Judge may face DUI charge

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - South County Justice of the Peace, Juan Manuel Guerrero, could face at least one DUI charge after a blood-alcohol test showed he was driving under the influence when he was stopped by Somerton police earlier this month.

According to the police report, Guerrero was stopped in Somerton on April 4 shortly before 2 a.m. after he was seen driving 40 mph in a 25-mph zone on Bingham Avenue near Crane Street.

In the report, the officer said he smelled alcohol from Guerrero and that the judge had difficulty touching toe to heel in a field sobriety test.

Guerrero then refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, according to the report, prompting police to seek a search warrant.

Then a sample was taken from Guerrero at Yuma Regional Medical Center about four hours after the traffic stop.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s lab showed that the judge had a blood-alcohol content of 0.146% alcohol level, according to police. The state’s legal limit is 0.08%.

Somerton Police Chief Araceli Juarez said last week the police incident report and the results of the blood test had been turned over to the city prosecutor.

The report said Guerrero told the officer who stopped him, he was driving home with his wife after the couple celebrated an anniversary at Cocopah Casino.

Guerrero has served since 2015 in the elected position of justice of the peace in Precinct II, which covers Somerton, Gadsden, and San Luis, Arizona.