Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Cases Increase in Maverick County
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015
A review of the City of Eagle Pass Police Department and Maverick County Sheriff’s Department records show an increase of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Public Intoxication arrests in Maverick County during the past 18 months.
Maverick County District Attorney Roberto Serna recently announced that an Eagle Pass resident was sentenced to eight years of incarceration for the offense of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) because the defendant had previous DWI convictions.
Alcohol-related arrests are a severe problem across the United States and Texas, including Maverick County. Every 20 minutes, one Texan is hurt or killed by a person driving while intoxicated.
Alcohol consumption in Maverick County is a very large problem considering its population of 57,000. One local beer distributing representative noted that Maverick County beer sales are twice as those of its neighboring County of Val Verde in Del Rio, Texas, despite having about the same population.
Compounding the DWI arrests in Maverick County is the surge of new Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers assigned to the Texas-Mexico border. Some local residents complain that the DPS Troopers regularly “hunt” for DWI citations on FM 1021 (El Indio Highway) and other state highways or roads. One Maverick County Justice of the Peace Court is inundated with DPS-issued traffic citations.
The fines and penalties for DWI convictions in Texas are serious and high. For one’s first DWI conviction, one can be fined up to $2,000, jailed three to 180 days, have your driver’s license suspended up to one year, and pay a fee of $1,000 or $2,000 for to retain your driver’s license for three years.
A second DWI offense conviction may result in a fine of up to $4,000, jailed one month to one year, have your driver’s license suspended for up to two years, and pay a fee of $1,000, $1,500, or $2,000 to retain your driver’s license for three years.
A third DWI conviction may result in a fine of up to $10,000, jailed up to two to 10 years, have your driver’s license suspended for up to two years, and pay a fee of $1,000, $1,500 or $2,000 to retain your driver’s license for three years.
If one has a minor child age 15 or under while driving while intoxicated will result in one being charged with a felony of child endangerment while driving intoxicated and be fined up to $10,000, jailed up to two years in state jail, and have your driver’s license suspended up to two years.
A review of the Eagle Pass Police Department monthly reports from February 26, 2014 through August 24, 2015 shows that during this past 18 months period there were 273 alcohol-related arrests including 146 ( 34.2 %) arrests for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and 280 (65.8%) arrests for intoxicated pedestrian arrests (PI).
According to the Eagle Pass Police Department monthly reports from July 28 through August 24, 2015, there were 4 Driving While Intoxicated arrests, 14 intoxicated pedestrians; during June 23 through July 27, 2015 there were 9 DWI and 22 PI arrests; during June23 through May 27, 2015, there were 10 DWI and 15 PI arrests; during May 26 through April 28, 2015 there were 11 DWI and 17 PI arrests; during April27 through March 23, 2015, there were 9 DWI and 25 PI arrests; during March 22 through February 24, 2015, there were 7 DWI and 10 PI arrests; during January 27 to February 23, 2015 there were 7 DWI and 11 PI arrests; during December 23,2014 to January 26, 2015 there were 8 DWI and 14 PI arrests; during November 18 to December 22, 2014 there were 5 DWI and14 PI arrests; during October 21 to November 18, 2014 there were 7 DWI and 12 PI arrests; during September 23 to October 28 , 2014 there were 13 DWI and 19 PI arrests; during August 26 to September 21,2014 there were 4 DWI and 19 PI arrests; during July 18 to August 19, 2014 there were 14 DWI and 25 PI arrests; during June26 to July 30, 2014 there were 5 DWI and 17 PI arrests; during April 23 to May 25, 2014 there were 4 DWI and 23 PI arrests; during March 26 to April, 22 2014 there were 12 DWI and 23 PI arrests; and during February 26 to March 25, 2014 there were 17 DWI arrests.
Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber informed the Eagle Pass Business Journal that the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) had 37 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) arrests during the past seven months from February to August 2015.
A review of the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department arrest reports from January 2014 to February 2015 shows there were 257 arrests for alcohol-related offenses, including 207 arrests for public intoxication and 87 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) arrests.
The Maverick County Sheriff’s Department has arrested 124 persons for DWI offenses in the past 18 months.
The combined Eagle Pass Police Department and Maverick County Sheriff’s Department monthly reports during the past 18 months period shows a total of 270 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) arrests and 487 public intoxication (PI) arrests, totaling 757 alcohol-related arrests. This figure does not include the many warnings issued by both the Eagle Pass Police Department and Maverick County Sheriff’s Department to Maverick County residents regarding alcohol-related matters.
Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber states that the consequences that arise from driving while intoxicated are far too great and severe and that people who drink must do so responsibly and not drive.
“It’s not worth going to jail or putting yourself in a circumstance where you may hurt others by causing an automobile accident. If you’re going to consume alcohol, I strongly recommend you designate someone to drive who isn’t under the influence,” said Sheriff Schmerber.
“The social and legal ills of alcohol abuse and its consequences for violating the state laws concerning driving while intoxicated and public intoxication, could ruin your life or career and also put you and others at risk, a risk that is not worth it,” said Sheriff Schmerber.
Eagle Pass Police Chief Alberto Guajardo added that the best thing for one to do is “Don’t drink and drive. If you drive drunk, you will go to jail and be charged with a DWI.”
