Jacob Daniel Flores was convicted of driving while intoxicated by a jury on March 16 before being sentenced by County Court at Law No. 5 Presiding Judge Ronald Cohen a day later.
The 31-year old Richmond man was arrested after crashing into an off-duty police officer while driving the wrong way on Highway 90-A over two years ago.
According to assistant district attorney Santos Hinojosa, Flores was driving the wrong way on Highway 90-A near the Valero gas station just east of the Brazos River when he crashed into an off-duty police officer on his way to work.
When Richmond Police officers arrived, they noticed Flores’ slurred speech, red glassy eyes, and the smell of alcohol. He was belligerent; yelling at officers, and had trouble maintaining his balance.
The defendant refused to undergo an intoxication evaluation and was eventually transported to the hospital.
The defendant kept apologizing and said he was just fired from his job, possibly getting a divorce, and had too much on his mind. Flores didn’t have any auto insurance and was driving without a valid driver’s license.
“I would like to thank the Richmond Police Department for removing this intoxicated, dangerous driver from our roads,” said Hinojosa, “and also the jury for holding Flores accountable with their verdict of guilty. Justice prevailed.”
Driving while intoxicated in this case is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine up to $2,000.
The judge assessed Flores’ punishment at 18 months’ probation, including a $1,000 fine, 64 hours of community service, a DWI education class, and attendance at a victim impact panel where offenders hear from DWI victims who survived to tell their story.
Hinojosa and Justin Foster prosecuted the case. Attorney Brandon Ball represented the defendant.