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Wilson
The 22nd Judicial District's top law-enforcement official was arrested in February for driving under the influence of alcohol and faces myriad criminal charges.
District Attorney James Warren Wilson was pulled over about 10:15 a.m. Feb. 21 for making an unsafe pass of another vehicle along Colorado Highway 24 near Buena Vista, said Sgt. John Hahn, public information officer for the Colorado State Patrol's headquarters in Denver. Wilson was driving a 2009 Jeep utility vehicle and heading west.
Buena Vista is about 90 miles west of Colorado Springs.
During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of Wilson being intoxicated through their personal interaction, said Hahn. Authorities had no indication of Wilson's position as 22nd Judicial District attorney.
“He (Wilson) was arrested and charged appropriately based on the officer's judgment," Hahn said Monday.
After the arrest, Wilson was immediately transported to the Buena Vista Police Department for processing and “chemical testing," Hahn said.
An administrator at the Buena Vista police station said Monday the only action taken there with Wilson involved a trooper “using our equipment" to test Wilson's blood-alcohol level.
Wilson, 57, was later released on a summons, which is a normal procedure regarding a DUI arrest, Hahn said.
Overall, Wilson faces five counts of criminal misconduct: driving under the influence of alcohol; driving with an excessive amount of alcohol; possession of a weapon - a 9mm pistol - while under the influence of alcohol; an open container violation; and careless driving, Hahn said. All counts are misdemeanors.
Wilson's blood-alcohol content came back above Colorado's legal limit of 0.08 percent, Hahn said. However, the sergeant would not discuss Wilson's blood-alcohol report in detail because the case is pending.
Wilson declined to comment to the Cortez Journal on Monday about the specifics of his case.
“It's ongoing, and I'm in the process of retaining counsel," he said. “I don't want to cut my potential attorney's legs out by discussing the facts."
Wilson, a Republican, has served as district attorney for Montezuma and Dolores counties since January 2005. He ran unopposed for the position in 2004.
During his November 2008 re-election race, the district attorney narrowly defeated his Democratic challenger, Mac Myers, who served as a deputy under Wilson before running against him.
Wilson started as a judicial prosecutor in 1988 for the 9th Judicial District. He went into private practice in 1992 and became a prosecutor again in 1997, working under Myers. Before his career as an attorney, Wilson was a deputy sheriff.
Former Montezuma County GOP chairman Bob Gaddis, who helped recruit Wilson in 2004 to the county and run for district attorney, said Wilson has always been a hard worker.
“His past work here has been very good," Gaddis said. “The fact that he has an alcohol problem is very discouraging. I'm appalled that he got caught with all these charges."