DWI charge against South Texas appeals judge who failed field sobriety test dismissed

Nora Longoria, a justice in the 13th Court of Appeals, was arrested on suspicion of DWI on July 12, 2014 in McAllen. Nora Longoria, a justice in the 13th Court of Appeals, was arrested on suspicion of DWI on July 12, 2014 in McAllen. Photo: Courtesy, McAllen Police Photo: Courtesy, McAllen Police Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close DWI charge against South Texas appeals judge who failed field sobriety test dismissed 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A DWI case against a South Texas appeals judge who failed a field sobriety test in July was dismissed last month, the McAllen Monitor reported Wednesday.

Nora Longoria, a 13th Court of Appeals judge, was pulled over last July while going 69 mph in a 55 mph zone in the Rio Grande Valley city. Longoria, who failed a field sobriety test but refused a Breathalyzer, showed an officer her judicial badge and asked him to let her go home, the Express-News reported after the July arrest.

Hidalgo County Court at Law No. 8 Judge Rolando Cantu dismissed the case on Nov. 20, according to the Monitor, but the dismissal was not immediately available online.

A McAllen police officer said he saw Longoria driving a silver two-door Lexus at 69 mph in a 55-mph zone around 1:30 a.m. in July, according to the records. During the traffic stop, the officer noticed Longoria had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol and administered field sobriety tests, which she failed, the officer wrote.

"Please let me go home. I live a couple of miles away ... you are going to ruin my life. I worked hard for 25 years to be where I am today," Longoria told the arresting officers as they attempted to handcuff her, according to court documents obtained by the McAllen Monitor.

Longoria showed the officer her credentials, told him she was a judge and refused to be handcuffed until the officer threatened to charge her with resisting arrest, the report said.

"Once another police officer and a sergeant arrived at the scene, Longoria said she had been having dinner with friends and drank five beers with the last drink being three hours before she got behind the wheel, records show," the Monitor wrote.

Longoria, who refused a Breathalyzer, was charged with DWI, a class B misdemeanor, and posted a $2,000 bond and was released from jail around 10 a.m. the same day, according to the Corpus Christi-Caller Times.

Longoria, who was elected in 2012 as a justice of the 13th court of appeals where she presides over a 20-county area handling appeals in criminal and civil matters, according to the Monitor.

kparker@express-news.net

Twitter: @KoltenParker