A Hidalgo County grand jury indicted a 24-year-old Peñitas man on allegations of drinking, speeding and blowing through stop signs before hitting a pedestrian and rolling his vehicle over, ejecting all of its occupants.
David Simon Cavazos was indicted June 24 on a count of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, three counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury and a count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment Wednesday morning, court records show.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested Cavazos about a week after he was released from DHR Health in Edinburg after being treated for injuries he sustained in the crash, which happened at about 6:36 p.m. Dec. 11 near Washington Palm Drive and Farm-to-Market Road 2221 in Peñitas.
Marco Mendoza, 24, died at the scene after being ejected from the 1996 white GMC truck that Cavazos was driving, according to DPS.
“The driver of the vehicle disregarded the stop sign, and as the vehicle traveled through the intersection it went airborne. The front of the vehicle struck the asphalt as it came down on the roadway on Washington Palm Dr., north of FM 2221, causing gouge marks,” the affidavit for Cavazos’ arrest stated.
As the truck continued northbound on Washington Palm Drive, DPS said Cavazos hit a woman who had been walking on the northbound edge of the road.
Cavazos tried to re-enter the roadway but veered into a right skid across Washington Palm Drive before rolling the truck and ejecting its occupants, the affidavit said.
“At the scene there were beer bottles and cans observed. Some had been ejected during the rolling of the vehicle,” the document stated.
Multiple people, including his family members, told DPS investigators that Cavazos had been drinking and his sister provided DPS with a Facebook video showing him drinking alcohol earlier that day, according to the affidavit.
Cavazos remained jailed Tuesday on a total of $550,000 in bonds, records showed.
