A state lawmaker from Midwest, Wyoming, charged with drunk driving is asking the court to let him skip random alcohol testing while he’s at the legislative session next month.
State Rep. Bill Allemand, a Republican, was charged in late December with DUI on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Johnson County, near a convenience store in Buffalo, court documents say.
He asked the court Jan. 21 to change his bond conditions under Article 1, sections 4, 6, 14, and 36 of the Wyoming Constitution, and a provision of the Wyoming Rules of Criminal Procedure.
As for the constitutional provisions, Article 1, Section 4 is Wyoming’s promise against unreasonable searches and seizures; Section 6 promises due process of law; Section 14 forbids excessive bail; and Section 36 promises the protection of unenumerated rights.
“Mr. Allemand respectfully requests that he be allowed to forego his random alcohol testing condition of bond while he is serving for the Wyoming Legislature from February 8, 2026, through March 22, 2026,” says the motion, by Allemand’s attorney and prominent advocate in DUI cases, Mike Vang.
Vang’s motion asserts a right to privacy under the unenumerated rights clause of the state constitution. It also invokes a state criminal procedure rule calling for “the least restrictive” combination of conditions to assure a man’s appearance in court, and the safety of the community.
“Although a random monitoring system may be an appropriate condition of bond under the right set of facts, like a person with a proven history of alcohol and drug abuse or other violent crimes,” says Vang’s motion, “a random chemical testing provision of bond is highly intrusive and is a condition that is traditionally associated with probation after an adjudication of guilt.”
Onward, To Cheyenne
Allemand was jailed briefly after his Dec. 28 arrest but was released on bond the next day, court documents indicate.
The legislative session opens Feb. 9 in Cheyenne. Its final day is March 11. Two additional legislative days are available, if necessary, says a footnote on the legislative calendar.
Allemand sits on arguably the most influential committee in the House of Representatives: House Appropriations Committee.
That group, together with its state Senate counterpart, finished two weeks of budget-planning earlier this month.
Allemand is also a member of the House Rules & Procedure Committee.
Of Allemand’s individually-sponsored bills for this session, one had been unveiled as of Monday: a joint resolution calling for the Legislature and the people of Wyoming to amend the state constitution, to require an affirmative vote of the people before high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel could be stored in Wyoming.
Allemand's bond hearing is set for Wednesday.
He did not immediately respond to a late-day text message request for comment.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
