HARLINGEN — A Harlingen man has been charged with manslaughter after his passenger fell off an all-terrain vehicle that police say he was driving while intoxicated.
The incident happened on Ebony Road north of FM 508 around 3:38 a.m. Sunday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the incident.
DPS Lt. Johnny Hernandez said a preliminary investigation indicated that an ATV occupied by two people was traveling southbound on Ebony Road.
The passenger, identified as Jacob Israel Flores, 28, fell off the ATV and sustained major injuries. He was transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center where he later died.
Police said the driver, Juan Javier Arredondo, 35, of Harlingen, was arrested for intoxication assault.
The charge was later upgraded to intoxication manslaughter.
Intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Texas which carries a possible punishment of two to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
