Austin man arrested for DWI, admits to smoking embalming fluid
AUSTIN, Texas - Police have arrested and charged a man with a DWI after he failed multiple sobriety tests, according to court documents.
Around 9 p.m. on January 11, police responded to a welfare check on a suspect vehicle that was reported to be driving erratically at the 2000 block of Manor Road.
When officers arrived in the area they spotted the suspect's vehicle, a 2003 KIA Optima, and proceeded to pull it over.
The driver of the car, Richard Nunez, was showing signs of intoxication, acting disoriented and distracted when communicating with officers. The officers started the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and concluded that Nunez was intoxicated.
According to court documents, officers searched Nunez's vehicle and found a wet cigarette with a strong chemical odor. Police determined that the suspect was under the influence of a "Dissociative Anesthetic" and could not operate a vehicle safely.
Nunez later admitted in jail that he had used a cigarette to smoke embalming fluid. The cigarette was submitted for lab testing and came back positive for Phencyclidine.
Nunez was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance.