A judge on Friday sentenced a 29-year-old former San Juan police officer to 10 years of probation with a mandatory two months in the county jail for a major drunk driving wreck more than a year ago that left a woman pinned in a vehicle and seriously injured.
State District Judge Mario E. Ramirez Jr. handed down the sentence for McAllen resident Ricardo Daniel Sanchez Martinez, who pleaded guilty to intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury on Nov. 16.
That plea came just four days before the one-year anniversary of the Nov. 20, 2021 crash in San Juan that happened at 12:28 a.m. at the intersection of Veterans Boulevard and Business 83 where Martinez, who was driving a Ford Fusion, hit a tan Chevrolet Suburban head-on.
There were five passengers inside that vehicle, and the crash left the front passenger pinned inside and unable to move, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Authorities found Martinez on the ground with major facial injuries following the crash and investigators also discovered a smashed, empty bottle of Michelob Ultra in the center console of the Ford Fusion.
Investigators later learned his blood alcohol content level was at 0.260, which is more than three times the legal drinking limit of .08 blood alcohol concentration.
A witness to the crash told police they saw Martinez driving against traffic prior to the collision.
San Juan police did not arrest Martinez until April 25 because he spent months in the hospital following the crash. Investigators were also waiting on toxicology test results.
Martinez resigned when San Juan police served him his termination papers.
As part of his plea, Ramirez, the judge, ordered Martinez to pay Mothers Against Drunk Driving $2,500. He is also required to perform 240 hours of community service.
Martinez additionally waived his right to appeal and to file a motion for a new trial, among other alcohol-related conditions of his plea.
He bailed out of the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a $50,000 bond the day of his arrest.
Martinez must surrender to authorities at the county jail on Jan. 2 to serve his required 60-day sentence.
If he violates any of the conditions of his plea, Martinez could face two to 10 years in prison.
