Rio Rancho police arrested the head of the Santa Fe Police Department's Internal Affairs Division early Sunday morning and charged him with aggravated drunken driving, according to a police report.

Lt. Stephen Ryan, 44, was pulled over about 1:40 a.m. at the intersection of Golf Course Road and Southern Boulevard in Rio Rancho after an officer saw his 2002 Toyota Tundra pickup weaving, the report says. He was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain a traffic lane after Ryan refused to take a breath test, according to the report.

Ryan was placed on administrative leave Monday pending an internal investigation into the incident and the outcome of his court case, Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Abram Anaya said.

Ryan had called Anaya on Sunday and told him about the arrest, Anaya said.

"When I got the call, I was very shocked," Anaya said. "I was actually in a state of disbelief because I didn't think it was possible for this man. I didn't even know he was a drinker."

Efforts to reach Ryan on Monday were not successful. He has headed the department's Professional Standards Division for about 3 1/2 years and been with the department for 17 years, Anaya said. The Professional Standards Division investigates complaints against police officers.

After the Rio Rancho officer pulled over Ryan's vehicle, the officer was about to get out of his car when he noticed the reverse lights come on in Ryan's truck, according to the report. The truck "suddenly starting backing up and I had to drive my vehicle in reverse about 20 ft to avoid being struck," the report states. Ryan later told the officer he'd been trying to put the vehicle in park but instead put it in reverse.

When the officer approached Ryan's window, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol and noticed that Ryan's eyes were bloodshot and watery, the report says. Ryan, who initially said he hadn't been drinking, showed signs of intoxication during sobriety tests and was arrested, according to the report.

At the Rio Rancho Police Department, Ryan refused to take breath test and said he wanted to take an independent test, the report says. The officer then gave him a phone book and told him to find a blood technician to call, though Ryan was never able to find a number, according to the report.

John Francis, Rio Rancho police spokesman, said defendants are able to request an independent test if they don't want to take the type of test the officer decides to administer.

Two hours after his arrest, as Ryan prepared to sign a document revoking his driver's license, he asked to take the breath test. However, a lieutenant on duty determined that wouldn't be appropriate, according to the report.

Ryan repeatedly asked the officer at different times why he'd been pulled over and told him he didn't remember taking at least two of the sobriety tests administered to him, the report states. On the way to jail, Ryan told the officer he was taking four different kinds of medication and had consumed one beer, the report says.

He is scheduled for arraignment in Rio Rancho Municipal Court on July 22, according to the citation.

Anaya said Santa Fe Police Chief Aric Wheeler will look at the results of the investigation into the incident, as well as take into account the outcome of the criminal charges against him, and decide what punishment might be warranted. Wheeler was returning from a vacation in Florida on Monday and wasn't available for comment.

Anaya characterized Ryan as having "an incredible work ethic" and said he was "extremely professional."

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.