A 27-year-old Weslaco man accused of driving at an unsafe speed and crashing into a tree, killing his passenger, had prohibited substances in his vehicle, according to authorities.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has charged Gerardo Tamez III with manslaughter for the the death of 24-year-old Weslaco resident Alex De La Rosa, who died in the car crash on Sept. 16.
Tamez spent a few days in the hospital before being booked into the Hidalgo County jail on Sept. 19 on the charge. DPS also charged the man with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a volatile chemical.
He remains incarcerated on $265,000 in bonds, records show.
In a probable cause affidavit, a DPS investigator said they found six cans of “compress gas duster” and two pills of Alprazolam, the generic version of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication.
The crash occurred at around 6:25 p.m. on Midway Road, south of Mile 5 North Road in Weslaco.
“Upon further investigation, I determined that Mr. Tamez was traveling north on Midway Rd at an unsafe speed due to road conditions. Mr. Tamez lost control of the vehicle which caused him to travel in a passenger skid in a northwest direction of the roadway and struck a tree with passenger side panel,” the investigator says in a probable cause affidavit.
In a news release, DPS said Tamez was driving on a caliche road.
Tamez has hired an attorney who filed a writ of habeas corpus on Tuesday arguing the man’s bond is unreasonable.
A hearing is scheduled in the matter on Oct. 7, records show.
