“Go ahead,” he said, “take me to jail.”

That statement, recorded in a police report, marks the crux of an incident that will now follow Ford on the campaign trail.

Marks also found “a marijuana joint cigarette” in the back pocket of Ford’s pants.

“What I remember is failing to provide a breath sample,” he said.

Ford later told reporters he had been drinking wine during a Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife.

“I admit, maybe I had, you know, a little bit . . . one, two glasses of wine or two.

“I can’t remember exactly what it was,” he said. “I wasn’t drunk.”

When pressed, Ford said he shared “a couple bottles” or “a couple of litres” of wine with his wife.

“[M]aybe I shouldn’t have been driving,” he said.

“If you’re charged with a DUI it’s because you were under the influence,” Diaz said.

“You’ve seen someone drunk before, right? You don’t have to give that person a breath test to know that he’s drunk.

“A breath sample is just one of the things they can take into account.”

With files from Lesley Ciarula Taylor