North Dakota GOP Rep Gets $1K Fine And Probation After Spewing Racist, Anti-Gay Slurs During DUI Arrest

The Associated Press reports:

A North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police with vulgar, homophobic and anti-migrant comments during an arrest last month for drunken driving was sentenced to serve nearly a year of unsupervised probation and to pay $1,000. Republican state Rep. Nico Rios, of Williston, received the sentence on Jan. 8, when he pleaded guilty to drunken driving, court records show. His sentence includes a 10-day suspended jail sentence.

Police body-camera footage from the Dec. 15 traffic stop, requested by and provided to the AP, shows Rios cursing an officer, repeatedly questioning his English accent, and using homophobic slurs and anti-migrant language. He also said he would call the North Dakota attorney general about the situation. He told the officers they would “regret picking on me because you don’t know who … I am.”

Read the full article. North Dakota Republican leaders have called for Rios to resign but he has refused.

Rep. Nico Rios was sentenced to serve nearly a year of unsupervised probation and to pay $1,000. https://t.co/feive9xooz

— KFYR-TV (@KFYRTV) January 19, 2024