AUSTIN, TX – A deadly car crash in April took the lives of two young children. The family of the siblings has filed suit against the bar, Cover 2, that allegedly sold the driver of the other vehicle alcohol. According to the lawsuit, the Cover 2 patron continued to consume alcohol until he was drunk. Bar employees then allowed John Alvarado, the alleged intoxicated driver in the collision, to leave the bar. The establishment is located on U.S. Highway 183, just under a mile from Anderson Mill Road. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are listed as Robby and Crystal Draper. The… Read More
Penalties for being arrested and subsequently convicted of driving under the influence vary from state to state. Penalties may even vary in different jurisdictions. Across Texas, penalties for drinking and driving are consistent from city to city and county to county. If you are convicted of drunk driving in Austin, this is what you can reasonably expect. 1st Offense When you are convicted for your first DUI, you may be given a fine that does not exceed $2,000. You will be confined to the county jail for no fewer than three days and no longer than six months. If you… Read More
AUSTIN, TX – An Austin man has been charged with DWI after striking and killing a female pedestrian on Riverside Drive. Trevor M. Taylor, 24, is alleged to have been driving a black Camaro down the street just before 2:30 a.m. when he struck the woman. The female victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The passenger in the vehicle was taken to University Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Police report that Taylor did stop to provide aid to the woman. Ultimately, it was suspected that Taylor may have been under the influence… Read More
AUSTIN, TX – Memorial Day weekend saw a ‘No Refusal’ initiative hit the streets of Austin that had 30 people in custody for DWI Friday night. 12 separate arrests were made as a result of breath-test failures, and 18 arrests were made from blood tests. Friday night outpaces the entire weekend of 2014 when only 28 arrests were made throughout the city. In 2014, 111 people were arrested throughout Austin for DWI, including those arrested as a result of ‘No Refusal’. Last year, there were 154 traffic collisions, including one that resulted in a fatality and six that resulted in… Read More
The author of Junction Boys and Twelve Might Orphans is facing a new felony charge. Jim Dent, 62, was indicted in Williamson County on Thursday for failure to appear and bail jumping. A resident of the Collin County Detention Center since February 15, Dent saw the charge handed down on Tuesday. The newest indictment, a third-degree felony, stems from the author’s failure to appear at a sentencing hearing over a year ago in February 2014. At that time, Dent was to be sentenced for driving while intoxicated. Dent had crashed into a tollbooth on State Highway 45 on… Read More
AUSTIN, TX – The lives of an entire family were forever changed on Wednesday, when a man made the decision to drink and drive. Not for the first time, but for the third…that police are aware of. John Canche Alvarado has been convicted of drunk driving twice before. Once in 2008 when he was sentenced to 20 days in jail for his first offense. Again in 2009 which required only the payment of a fine. The third time Alvarado was caught was Wednesday, after he caused an accident that left two children dead. Alvarado is no stranger to the court… Read More
The son of Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton was arrested for DWI on Saturday, according to police reports. Anthony Hamilton, 32, was arrested after being found unconscious behind the wheel of a 2014 Cadillac Escalade. Austin police received a call reporting a vehicle stopped in the inside, northbound lane on Lamar Boulevard. The call came in at 4:23 p.m. and also reported that the stopped vehicle was causing traffic to back up. Traffic was stopped from Lady Bird Lake to North Lamar. Arriving on scene, officers located an unconscious driver, later… Read More
AUSTIN, TX – If you live in Austin, and maybe even if you don’t, you are familiar with the wildly popular South by Southwest (SXSW) weekend. This year’s event was as entertaining as events passed, and just as dangerous, though most participants were blissfully unaware. Thanks to Austin PD and their enforcement of a “No Refusal” weekend, 28 drunk drivers were taken off of the road. The enforcement was not without incident. According to reports released by the court, 22-year-old Heather Ortega blew through a barricade just before 2 a.m. on Saturday… Read More
Deadly Car Crash in North Austin Could Result in a Wrongful Death Claim This morning, a tragic car accident left an Austin man dead and two people in custody. You can read the original story here on KVUE. Austin police are investigating the car crash, which involved two vehicles and happened in North Austin between Parmer Lane and Lamplight Village Avenue. Initial reports from the scene say that two people fled on foot but were chased by police and brought into custody. They are currently at University Medical Center Brackenridge being treated for minor injuries. The reports… Read More
After nine DWI arrests, two car crashes, three prior incarcerations, one deportation, and twenty-four aliases, it stands to reason that Francisco Perez-Altamirano should be sitting in Travis county jail without the possibility of bail. Where is he? We don’t know. Somehow, Perez-Altamirano paid a small administrative fee and was released on a bond. Edgar Izaguirre is the criminal defense attorney who requested the bond. He has declined to comment on whether he provided the judge who signed off on it, Judge Beverly Landers, with the defendant’s criminal history. Judge Landers submits that she would have handled the case much… Read More
