A former San Juan police officer is accused of driving against traffic while allegedly drunk and causing a head-on collision in November, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.
Police booked Ricardo Daniel Martinez, 28, into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a charge of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing bodily injury on Monday.
According to the affidavit, San Juan officers responded to the intersection of Veterans Boulevard and Business 83 in reference to a major collision between two vehicles, a tan Chevrolet Suburban and a gray Ford Fusion. Both had major front damage.
Five passengers were aboard the Suburban, and the front passenger was pinned inside and couldn’t move, the affidavit said.
While officers spoke to the occupants of the Suburban, another officer saw the driver of the Ford Fusion, later identified as Martinez, lying face up on the ground with major facial injuries, according to the affidavit.
The report says officers found a smashed, empty bottle of Michelob Ultra in the center console of the Ford Fusion.
A witness reported seeing Martinez traveling eastbound on the westbound lanes, driving against traffic, the report reads.
All occupants of both vehicles were transported to nearby hospitals.
San Juan Police Chief Ruben Morin said the delay between the arrest and the collision was due to Martinez’s injuries — he spent months in the hospital — and the wait for the toxicology report to return.
A blood search warrant was served on Martinez which revealed his blood content was 0.260 at the time of the collision, according to the affidavit. That’s more than three times the legal drinking limit of .08 blood alcohol concentration.
Martinez resigned after being served forms for his termination, Morin said.
He bailed out of the county jail a day after his arrest on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond.
