Willimantic — State Rep. Geoffrey Luxenberg, D-Manchester, smelled of alcohol, failed sobriety tests and tacitly refused to take a breath test to measure his blood alcohol content after being pulled over for driving erratically in the early morning hours of Nov. 17, according to a Willimantic police report.

Luxenberg was charged with operating under the influence and failure to drive in the proper lane after a Willimantic police officer noticed his 2013 white Honda CRV continuously hit the brakes and swerved into the right-turn-only lane and then back into the proper lane on Main Street at about 1 a.m. on Nov. 17, the report said.

When the 40-year-old Luxemberg spoke to the officer who had pulled him over, the lawmaker smelled of alcoholic beverages and his eyes "appeared to be bloodshot and watery," the report said.

In a statement the following day, Luxenberg apologized for the arrest and contended he would go into treatment as soon as possible. His aide said Friday that Luxenberg would not be providing any other comment on the arrest and directed all inquires to his attorney, Rob Britt, who declined to comment saying he would be "reserving my remarks for the courtroom."

Following his arrest, Luxenberg, who is his third term while serving two separate stints in the state House of Representatives, was stripped of his leadership and committee assignments until further notice, legislative officials said the day of Luxenberg's statement.

According to the police report, the officer pulled over Luxenberg's vehicle in front of a gas station and then asked Luxemberg to perform three sobriety tests including walking a straight line while counting his steps. He failed all three and was unable to count while walking or standing on one leg, the report said.

At various points during the tests, Luxenberg stumbled and was unable to follow the officer's directions, according to the report.

Luxenberg told police he had been at a Willimantic bar with "somebody" and had "two Captain Morgan spiced rum alcoholic beverages" mixed with Diet Coke, the report said. He was headed home to Manchester after getting a caffeinated drink from a gas station convenience store, he said, according to the report.

When Luxenberg was taken to the police station, he called six different attorneys without reaching any and then told officers who had asked him to take a breath test that he didn't want to answer any questions without his lawyer, the report said. His response was considered a refusal to take the breath test, the officers said in the report.

He was released on a $1,500 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Danielson on Monday.

In a joint statement, Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, said they were disappointed by Luxenberg's arrest and that they hoped he would learn from what they called a "serious lapse in judgment."

"Geoff has indicated that he is taking steps to ensure this never happens again and we support and encourage him in that decision," Ritter and Rojas said. "We are removing Rep. Luxenberg from all committee and leadership assignments until further notice."

Luxenberg, a real estate agent whose district lies entirely within Manchester, is in his second period of service in the House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2010 and served two, two-year terms. He again was elected in 2018 and is in the third term of his second stint in the House. He was a member of the Finance & Bonding Committee and the General Law Committee.

This incident came six months after another Connecticut House Democrat, Rep. Robin Comey of Branford, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after crashing and flipping her car a short distance from the state Capitol. Comey was accepted into the impaired driving intervention program, which if successfully completed, will erase her DUI charge on May 6, 2024.

Earlier in the year, Rep. Quentin Williams of Middletown was found to have alcohol and traces of cannabis in his blood when he was killed by a wrong-way driver on Route 9 in Cromwell.

Staff writer Richard Chumney contributed to this report.