A California state senator says she did not have any alcohol or drugs in her system after Sacramento police cited her earlier this week on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Police were called around 1:30 p.m. Monday about a crash involving state Senator Sabrina Cervantes, according to department spokesperson Allison Smith. Cervantes was taken to a hospital by someone she knew and treated for minor injuries.
Smith said officers went to the hospital as part of their investigation. They noticed “objective signs of intoxication” and gave her a citation for suspected DUI. She added that police believed Cervantes was under the influence of drugs, not alcohol. No breathalyzer test was given.
Cervantes, a Democrat representing part of the Inland Empire, denied doing anything wrong. She said she had gone to the emergency room for medical care after her car was hit. While there, she said Sacramento police approached her, accused her of being under the influence, and held her for several hours.
She was elected to the state Senate last year after serving in the Assembly. She also led the Latino Legislative Caucus during her time there.
Cervantes said that lab tests done at the hospital showed no drugs or alcohol in her system.
A deportation officer with the Enforcement and Removal Operations inthe U.S.“This ordeal was deeply distressing and left me even more shaken,” Cervantes said in a statement. “As a Senator, wife, and mother, I hold myself to the highest standard and expect others who serve our communities to do the same.”
The case was first reported by Politico. It comes after other recent incidents where Democratic state lawmakers in California were accused of driving under the influence. U.S. Rep. Dave Min, who was a state senator at the time, and former Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo were arrested in separate cases in 2023. Both admitted they were at fault.