Nico Rios is an American politician affiliated with the Republican Party. He has served as a representative for the 23rd district in the North Dakota House of Representatives since 2022, alongside Scott Dyk.[1][2]
Career
Prior to moving to North Dakota, Rios worked in Senator Ted Cruz's Washington, D.C., office. As of 2022, he was working as a wireline operator in Williston. "The type of medical and economic tyranny we saw across the country due to covid made me want to do something", he said during his 2022 run for office.[3]
Arrest
On December 15, 2023, Rios was pulled over at around 11:30 p.m. after he failed to stay in his lane.[4] In a police report, he was noted as being "verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory" toward an officer.[5][6] During the arrest, Rios told the officers that they would "regret picking on me because you don't know who the fuck I am."[7]
Rios was charged with driving under the influence and refusing to provide a chemical test.[6] He later pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to nearly one year of unsupervised probation and a $1,000 fine.[8]
In an apology statement, he said that "I decided to act like a dummie. They did nothing to deserve any sort of disrespect. I owe it to myself, my district, and everyone and I vow to make sure this never happens again."[4]
References
- ^ "Representative Nico Rios". North Dakota Legislative Branch. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Anthony, Michael (November 9, 2022). "Three Republicans elected to new legislative district west of Williston". KFYR-TV. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ rjean@willistonherald.com, Renée Jean (April 6, 2022). "District 23 begins taking shape for first election season". Williston Herald. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Smart, Sara (December 24, 2023). "State lawmaker apologizes after homophobic, xenophobic remarks toward police officer during DUI stop". CNN. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Rissman, Kelly (December 24, 2023). "GOP lawmaker caught hurling racist, homophobic abuse during DUI arrest". The Independent. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Schladebeck, Jessica (December 23, 2023). "North Dakota lawmaker unleashes 'homophobic, racially abusive' tirade during drunk driving arrest: bodycam video". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ "North Dakota Republican leaders call on state Rep. Nico Rios to resign after slurs to police during DUI stop - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. December 26, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ "North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police in DUI stop gets unsupervised probation and $1,000 fine". AP News. January 18, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
See also
- Caught On Bodycam: 7 Most 'Entitled' Suspects Arrested by Police (50:39) (video). Law&Crime Network.
- Bodycam shows North Dakota lawmaker hurling racist and homophobic slurs in DUI arrest (video). The Independent.