The former head of the Santa Fe Police Department's internal affairs division was found guilty of aggravated drunken driving Tuesday in Rio Rancho Municipal Court, according to a court clerk.

Municipal Judge James Walker also found Lt. Stephen Ryan, 44, guilty of failure to maintain a traffic lane. Ryan will be on supervised probation for one year, required to attend DWI school and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and must have an ignition interlock installed in his car, the clerk said.

Santa Fe Police Chief Aric Wheeler said Tuesday that he has not yet decided Ryan's future with the department. An internal investigation into the arrest has been complete for about a week, though the findings have not yet been confirmed, Wheeler said. He said he expects to make a decision about Ryan within the next week or two.

If the department decides to retain Ryan, he will likely not go back to the internal affairs division, Wheeler said. Ryan has been on paid administrative leave since his arrest.

Efforts to reach Ryan on Tuesday were not successful.

A Rio Rancho police officer pulled Ryan over about 1:40 a.m. June 28 after seeing his 2002 Toyota Tundra weaving, according to a police report. After pulling Ryan over, 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 officer had to put his own vehicle in reverse and drive about 20 feet backward to avoid being struck by Ryan's truck, the report says. Ryan later said he'd been trying to put his truck in park but instead put it in reverse, the report says.

When the officer approached Ryan's window, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol and noticed that Ryan's eyes were watery and bloodshot. Ryan failed sobriety tests and was arrested. He later refused to take a chemical test and was charged with aggravated DWI.

On his way to jail, Ryan — who initially said he hadn't been drinking — told the officer he was taking four different kinds of medication and had consumed one beer, the report states.

Ryan's license was automatically revoked after he was charged with aggravated DWI.

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