A probable cause affidavit indicated that a woman accused of striking and killing another woman while allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol had open containers in her vehicle at the time of the crash.
Sorely Lizeth Niño, 19, of Mission was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter, a second degree felony, after she struck and killed 43-year-old Brenda Belmontes with her vehicle on Sunday. Nino’s bond was set at $40,000.
According to police reports, police found open containers of alcoholic beverages in Niño’s car.
“I conducted a visual search inside the Ford Taurus and observed a White Claw Hard Seltzer beer can with condensation thrown on the driver side floor mat as well as an open Dos XX 24oz sitting on the front right passenger seat,” one report said. “I visually inspected the rear seats of the Ford Taurus and observed two 6 packs of Smirnoff sitting on the rear left floor mat.”
Police responded to 500 S.15th Street at approximately 2:35 a.m. Sunday. When police arrived, officers saw a black Ford Taurus with “major damage” to the front driver-side bumper and a gray GMC Envoy with “major damage” to the rear passenger-side bumper.
According to the report, police saw a woman lying face up in the middle of the road. She was later identified as Belmontes. Police spoke to the driver of the GMC Envoy, who told officers that Belmontes was about to enter the vehicle through the passenger side when he saw the Ford Taurus traveling at a high rate of speed.
He told police that the Ford Taurus struck the Envoy’s rear right bumper and pushed the vehicle forward. Moments later, he saw “Ms. Belmontes laying in the middle of the road immediately after the impact,” a police report said.
Police approached the Ford Taurus and saw that multiple airbags had been deployed. The occupants of the vehicle, three women, were still trapped inside.
Another officer reported that Niño complained about pain to her right arm prior to being assisted out of the Ford Taurus.
According to the report, Niño told the officer “okay sir, I didn’t want to drive. I’m sorry,” and began to cry.
After removing the women from the vehicle, police took Niño aside and reported that she showed signs of impairment, including bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
“I took custody of Ms. Nino and asked her what happened,” the report said. “Ms. Nino told me that she was ‘sorry that she had been drinking.’”
Niño was escorted to a nearby parking lot and a field sobriety test was conducted. It was then determined that Niño had indeed been intoxicated while driving the Ford Taurus.
She was placed under arrest and transported to Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen for medical clearance.
Another police officer approached Belmontes and reported that she was not moving or breathing.
“I observed the female’s eyes were open but were not moving,” the report read.
Belmontes was bleeding from her ears and was not responsive,” the document said.
Paramedics arrived on scene and began to render aid. They were able to get a pulse from Belmontes before transporting her to McAllen Medical Center. However, she later died from her injuries, which included major internal bleeding to her kidneys and abdominal organs. She was pronounced dead at approximately 4:16 a.m. Sunday.
In a separate report, a police officer reported making contact with the other two female occupants of the Ford Taurus. The officer reported that both women displayed several signs of intoxication. One of the women told the officer that she had been at a club in downtown McAllen.
The other woman was unable to maintain her balance and had to be sat down on a curb. When the officer attempted to question the woman, she began falling asleep.
Both women “did not have a sober responsible adult to take custody of them there for [sic] were placed under arrest for public intoxication,” the report said.
