Mesa city councilman arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence
May 8, 2017, 5:14 PM | Updated: May 9, 2017, 7:46 am
PHOENIX — A Mesa city councilman was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence, Tempe police confirmed.
(Photo: City of Mesa)
Det. Lily Duran, a spokeswoman with the Tempe Police Department, said Ryan Winkle, a councilman representing District 3 in Mesa, was arrested around 1 a.m. on Sunday near Mill and Baseline roads.
Winkle was seen “weaving in the roadway” and was stopped by Tempe police. Duran said Winkle showed signs and symptoms “consistent with impairment” during the stop, including bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
He denied drinking and agreed to field sobriety tests and, based on his performance, was soon after transported to a DUI task force post, the police report said.
At the time of the arrest, Winkle’s wife Ericka was in the car with him.
While Winkle’s blood rest results were not available at the time of publication, he was issued a criminal citation for driving under the influence and was released at the scene.
According to his councilmember page, Winkle was first elected to the Mesa City Council in August 2016 and started representing the third district in January. He is expected to be in office until January 2021.
Winkle has been influential in implementing the Mesa Urban Garden and RAILMesa and worked with underserved communities in the East Valley.
He was raised in Mesa and attended Arizona State University, where he holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Sciences, and Wilkes University Mesa. Winkle and his wife, Ericka, have one son.
