Saturday, February 12, 2005

Judge faces DWI

Fitch moved to ICU in Santa Fe with possible heart attack after one-car wreck

Audry Olmsted El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Socorro District Judge Thomas Fitch, who was involved in an alcohol-related car wreck earlier in the day, for which he faces charges, was admitted to the intensive care unit at St. Vincent's Hospital in Santa Fe with a possible heart attack Friday evening.

Fitch, 62, the presiding judge in the 7th Judicial District, has been charged with one count each of careless driving, aggravated driving while intoxicated and having an open container in a vehicle.

According to a press release from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department, Fitch drove a district-owned 2002 blue Ford Windstar off of Paseo De River, which runs parallel to the N.M. 599 Santa Fe Bypass near Airport Road, and rolled into a ditch just before 1 p.m. Friday.

Fitch was transported to the hospital with chest pains and other injuries after the crash.

Friday evening at 5 p.m., Sheriff Greg Solano told the Chieftain that Fitch had just been admitted to the ICU with what appeared to be a heart attack.

Fitch was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and the airbags did deploy. He was alone in the van.

In the vehicle, which is registered to the 7th Judicial District Court, sheriff's deputies found a large open container of vodka, the sheriff said in press release.

Two breath alcohol tests administered to Fitch registered 0.17 and 0.18 blood alcohol readings. A reading of .08 is the state's presumptive level of intoxication for DWI charges.

A blood alcohol test was also administered, but those results will not be available for the next couple of weeks, the press release said.

Fitch was in Santa Fe for the day to attend a legislative budget hearing. He was only scheduled to stay for the day.

7th Judicial District Judge Kevin Sweazea said he and Judge Edmund Kase III were worried about Fitch's health condition.

"(We) hope that Judge Fitch is not seriously injured," he said.

At this time, Sweazea said, the court would wait to see how things play out with Fitch before making a decision as to what to do with his cases.

"Those are serious allegations," Sweazea said of the charges Fitch faces. "Our district will take these allegations very seriously."

Sweazea said the district will investigate the matter and said he hoped for a positive outcome.

aolmsted@dchieftain.com

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