An off-duty Border Patrol agent was arrested after driving home drunk from South Padre Island on Sunday.
Jodie Oliver Martinez, 43, was arrested Sunday morning around 2 a.m. when a Cameron County resident heard a loud noise in her front yard, according to the probable cause affidavit.
When the resident went outside, she noticed two mailboxes outside her house were smashed in. Home surveillance video showed the driver of a black vehicle crashing and driving off without an attempt to reach out to the property owners, according to the affidavit.
The Cameron County resident captured the license plate from the video and tracked down the suspect a few miles down the road.
A DPS trooper showed up to the scene and spoke to Martinez, the driver of the black vehicle.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Martinez said he was driving home to Mercedes but struck something when he got distracted by his phone. He said a flat tire led him to pull over off the road and wait for roadside assistance.
The trooper noticed Martinez’ bloodshot eyes. He admitted that he had consumed alcohol before driving back from the Island.
After Martinez failed some field sobriety tests, he was arrested for drunk driving.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson sent a statement: “On Oct. 9, 2022, a Border Patrol Agent assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector was arrested by a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper near Brownsville.”
The statement added, “The Rio Grande Valley Sector is committed to cooperating with any criminal or administrative investigation of alleged misconduct involving Border Patrol personnel, on or off duty.”
Martinez was charged with driving while intoxicated, a class B misdemeanor. He was released Monday on a $1,000 bond.
