BROWNSVILLE — A Brownsville police report for the DWI arrest of State Rep. Rene Oliveira shows the politician refused to perform a standard field sobriety test or voluntarily provide a blood specimen and that an officer needed to hold his right arm to keep him from losing his balance.
The Brownsville Police Department arrested Oliveira on April 28 and charged him with drunk driving after he left the scene of a car crash.
According to the police report, Oliveira had left Cobbleheads after eating dinner and having a “few” drinks when he crashed his black Cadillac into a vehicle that was stopped at a traffic light.
“(She) stated that she observed the defendant stumble out of his vehicle and approach her. She stated that after checking if she was okay, he told her that he would take care of everything, and for her to contact his insurance, giving her his business card with only his name and business address,” the police report states.
Oliveira would not tell officers how many alcoholic drinks he had that night, police documents show.
“I asked the defendant if he could describe the circumstances under which the accident took place, to which he stated that he was driving and did not see the cars stopped in front of him, causing him to strike one,” the police report states.
Right before the accident, the woman who Oliveira hit, said she saw the vehicle approaching her through her rearview mirror.
“She stated that the vehicle did not appear to be slowing down and that she was expecting to be struck,” the police report states.
The accident occurred on the 800 block of Boca Chica Boulevard at just before 10:30 p.m.
One responding officer said he spoke with Oliveira’s wife, who told authorities “that everything was okay and that no accident had taken place” and Oliveira told police that after speaking with the other driver “he believed the matter to be settled and left the scene.”
The report states that there was damage to Oliveira’s vehicle, including two right side tires that were flat and the front right wheel having significant damage. An officer responding to the scene reported seeing a dark Cadillac leaving the scene of the accident, possibly striking the right hand curb of the roadway as it left.
“I asked the defendant if he could recall how the Cadillac had been damaged on both the right side wheels and tires, to which he stated that he could not recall,” the police report states. “He stated that he did not believe he hit anything, then stated that he must have struck something on the way home. He stated that he could not recall exactly where he hit anything.”
According to the report, Oliveira had red, bloodshot eyes, glassy eyes and dilated pupils.
“I also observed the defendant to be constantly licking his lips and running his tongue along the inside of his lips, between his lips and gum, from the right side of his mouth to the left, as if his mouth was very dry,” the police report states.
After being asked if he would be willing to perform the standardized sobriety tests, which he declined to do, Brownsville police arrested Oliveira.
“I escorted the defendant to my unit and observed him to stumble several times as we were walking, requiring me to hold his right arm to keep him from loosing (sic) his balance,” the police report states.
Oliveira also refused to provide a blood or breath specimen and refused to sign a form acknowledging his refusal, according to the police report.
“A search warrant was obtained and the defendant was transported to Valley Baptist Medical where a specimen of his blood was drawn by hospital personnel,” the police report states. “The defendant was then transported back to City Jail where he was booked accordingly.”
According to the police report, dash cam, body cam and City Jail video exist showing the various phases of the incident and have been booked as evidence. The Brownsville Herald in a Texas Public Information Act request used to obtain the police report also asked for any video showing the arrest. The Brownsville Police Department has asked the Texas Attorney General’s office to withhold the video, saying the police department believes the videos are exempt from disclosure.
In a statement released to The Brownsville Herald on April 28, Oliveira apologized.
“Last night I made a mistake in judgment, and thankfully, no one was injured. I sincerely apologize to my family, friends, colleagues, and most especially to my supporters,” he wrote. “I am embarrassed, but grateful no one was hurt. In my career I have counseled people who have made similar mistakes, and I remind them that we are all only human.”
Oliveira said he doesn’t expect special treatment.
“I know that my error in judgment has consequences and I will accept those consequences,” he said. “I know that I will not be treated any differently than anyone else.”
Oliveira was released on a $2,500 bond on April 28.
The politician was first elected to District 37 in 1981 and then again in 1990 after a failed bid at the Texas Senate in 1986, according to newspaper archives.
He is chair of the Texas House Business and Industry Committee and belongs to the Economic Competitiveness Select Committee, the Affairs Committee and the Texas Ports, Innovation & Infrastructure Select Committee.
The longtime incumbent is being challenged in a primary runoff election on May 22 by Cameron County Commissioner Alex Dominguez.
The unofficial early returns from the March 6 Democratic primary showed he finished with 3,096 votes compared to Dominguez’s 2,329 votes, triggering the runoff.
