Rep. Allemand responds to DUI arrest bodycam: It ‘shows that I was not drunk’

In an exclusive interview with WyoFile, Midwest Republican Rep. Bill Allemand said recently released body camera footage of his Dec. 28 traffic stop and arrest at a Buffalo gas station “shows that I was not drunk. It shows how I was treated by law enforcement.”

During the stop, Allemand told a Johnson County deputy that he’d had “probably two beers” before being pulled over at about 12:37 p.m. 

In the hour-long video released by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office last week, Allemand appears cooperative while repeatedly questioning why he was stopped. The deputy tells Allemand there was a REDDI (Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately) call on his vehicle, and that he’d watched Allemand abruptly stop just short of hitting a passing vehicle at an intersection.

The video provides a raw account of the incident that Allemand has described as an unjustified stop. He and his attorney, Michael Vang, have vowed to fight the DUI charge. 

Reached for comment about the body camera footage, Allemand told WyoFile this week that the video backs his claims and does not sour his reelection bid. Allemand is a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus who has served two terms as House District 58 representative and is running for a third term. He faces challenger Peter Boyer — currently Bar Nunn mayor —  in the GOP primary on Aug. 18. 

“And what the people of my district take away from it,” Allemand added, “it will be whether they want somebody who will fight and win for them or if they want somebody who will ignore them and go his own way.”

The body camera footage

In the footage, Allemand responds to the deputy’s questions with slow speech, which he explained to WyoFile is his usual manner of speaking. 

At one point early in the video, Allemand, who runs a small trucking company, was candid with the deputy about why he was drinking while driving.

“I have a little bit of a problem,” Allemand tells the deputy, “that I have anxieties of driving down interstates. Two-way — two-lane do not bother me, but interstates bother me. And I have learned that if, which I know is highly illegal, but I have learned if I will have a beer going down the interstate [it is] so much better — that my anxieties.”

During the stop, the deputy places Allemand in handcuffs and explains, “So I’m detaining you for my safety because there’s a firearm in the vehicle and the vehicle is running.”

“Oh, and,” Allemand responds, “there’s a firearm on my hip.”

The deputy checks for a second firearm, but both realize Allemand was referring to the gun on the seat of his vehicle, which the deputy had already noted.

Allemand has also asserted that while detained at the gas station — prior to being formally arrested and charged with driving under the influence — the deputy coaxed him into speaking freely without first reading him his Miranda rights. In fact, it’s unlikely that jury members assembled for Allemand’s September jury trial will see the full video as part of evidence in the case.

Magistrate Judge Jeremy Kisling, on June 19, sided with Allemand and his attorney, ruling that Allemand’s responses to the deputy’s questioning while handcuffed and detained before his arrest — without first reading Allemand his Miranda rights, including the right to remain silent — will not be included as evidence. It was a violation of Allemand’s constitutional rights, the judge ruled. 

However, Kisling, in the same order, ruled that the stop was lawful.

The sheriff’s deputy “had reasonable suspicion and probable cause to stop the Defendant’s vehicle based on the contemporary REDDI report as well as the perceived traffic violation,” Kisling wrote in the June 19 order. The deputy “further had a valid reason to extend the traffic stop based on reasonable suspicion that a DUI had occurred given the articulable facts and indications of intoxication.”

Political implications

With the presumption of innocence while the case proceeds, Allemand’s House District 58 constituents are left with the hour-long body camera footage as they weigh whether to reelect the stalwart of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. Allemand faces Boyer in the HD 58 GOP primary in August, and, potentially, Democratic candidate Keenan Morgan in the November general election.

That means the Allemand-Boyer GOP primary race will be decided before Allemand faces trial in September. It’s also a sore point for Allemand, he said, because he wanted a trial in May “before election season starts.” Previously, he and his attorney asked for a delay because it would have conflicted with Allemand’s legislative work during the budget session.

“They [prosecutors] don’t think they can win in court, so they’re trying me in the media,” Allemand told WyoFile.

It’s not the first time an elected official in Wyoming has faced criminal charges. Depending on the severity of the charges, it isn’t typically a major political factor — unless it’s something that compounds an existing weakness perceived by the public, Jim King, a University of Wyoming emeritus professor of political science, told WyoFile.

“A single weakness or misstep usually isn’t fatal in a reelection bid,” King said.

Leadership from both the Freedom Caucus and the Natrona County GOP have had conversations with Allemand about the DUI charge, Allemand said, indicating that the Freedom Caucus in particular still supports him.

Gillette Republican Rep. John Bear, the former Freedom Caucus chairman, said he can’t speak on behalf of the organization, but he did watch “portions” of the body camera footage. 

“As an individual, I would tell you that everybody deserves their day in court, and we’ll see how that comes out,” Bear told WyoFile. “If he has a problem, I hope he gets help. And if it turns out that, you know, that wasn’t the case, then I hope justice is served.”

“[Bodycam footage] shows that I was not drunk. It shows how I was treated by law enforcement.”

Rep. Bill Allemand

Rob Hendry, the former chair of the Natrona County GOP who is now running for House District 38, said he can’t speak for the county party. Personally, he told WyoFile, “I think it’s sad.

“Bill was drinking and driving, and he is a legislator that represents the state of Wyoming,” Hendry added. “Not only that, but he’s on the Appropriations Committee, and that just makes it, to me, just sad.”

Boyer has previously said that he entered the HD 58 race because he believes the district deserves better representation. Reached for comment regarding the body camera footage, Boyer told WyoFile, “The bodycam footage is damning. 

“It’s obvious Rep. Allemand has a drinking problem,” Boyer added. “I hope he gets into treatment for all his issues. The people can decide if he is fit to hold office anymore. I’ll be praying for him to get into a recovery program and get some healing.”

Allemand hasn’t had a drop of alcohol since the arrest, he told WyoFile.

“I have never been a heavy drinker — ever,” he added. “I quit completely drinking with no side effects.”

He’s subject to monthly, random alcohol screenings — a mandate that Allemand asked a judge to waive during this year’s budget session. The request was denied.

His driving privileges were never suspended, Allemand told WyoFile. He described the entire episode as “a new life change,” and said he remains adamant that he’ll be cleared of the DUI charge, and that his bid for a third term as HD 58 representative is “up to the people.”

“They know they have representation — someone who will fight for them and someone who will get things done for them.”