TOPEKA — Rep. Suzi Carlson was arrested late Monday and booked into Shawnee County Jail for driving under the influence of alcohol and failing to maintain a single lane, Topeka police said Tuesday.
Topeka police Lt. Manuel Munoz said officers stopped Carlson around 9 p.m. Monday in the area of S.W. 14th and Topeka Boulevard, which is about four blocks south of the Statehouse. He said officers suspected she was under the influence of alcohol, which was confirmed by subsequent testing.
Online jail records indicate Carlson, a Republican from Clay Center, was booked into jail at 11 p.m. and released at 2:15 a.m. after posting $1,000 cash bond. Jail records indicate she was cited for having a greater than .08 blood alcohol level and that she made an unsafe lane change. A court date was set for March 1.
Carlson has served in the House since 2019. Before that, she served as a municipal judge in Clay Center for 22 years.
“We do not have any additional information right now, but we expect local law enforcement to provide more details once they’ve completed their review,” said House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe.
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