Thread: TX: Man held in 2 drunken driving deaths had prior DWIs

March 27, 2007, 2:04PM

Man held in 2 drunken driving deaths had prior DWIs

By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A Mexican national, charged with intoxicated manslaughter and failure to render aid in the deaths of a Porter woman and her pregnant daughter, had three prior drunken driving convictions.

No bond had been set for 25-year-old Ignacio Gomez-Gutierrez, who listed his address as 8010 Wier in Houston. Luisa Deason, spokeswoman for the immigration enforcement services, said she is researching whether Gomez-Gutierrez was in the United States legally and if he was ever deported for the prior convictions.

Gomez-Gutierrez is charged in connection with the deaths of the two Porter women -- Maria Ortiz, 49, and her 18-year-old daughter, Vanessa,who was 5 months pregnant at the time of the accident, authorities said.

According to investigators, Gomez-Gutierrez was speeding on the Eastex Freeway about 3:40 p.m. Sunday when his pickup truck slammed into the back of a 1998 Buick belonging to the Ortiz family. The two women were killed on impact near the entrance to Kingwood, investigators said.

However, authorities say Gomez-Gutierrez did not stop at the accident scene but was captured further down the road after being involved in yet another accident.

The Houston mayor's crime victims assistant, Andy Kahan, was incensed at the punishment Gomez-Gutierrez received for the three prior drunken driving convictions.

For the first misdemeanor conviction in 2002, he received 60 days confinement and for the second misdemeanor conviction in 2004 he was sentenced to only 10 days.

The third conviction should have been a felony, but it was reduced to a misdemeanor for which he was sentenced to a year in the county jail.

"That usually means he spent six months at the most locked up," said Kahan.

"The courts should take drunk driving more seriously when you let someone drive a 6,000-pound weapon out there."

Kahan said, "Part of the blame for this accident should be placed on the criminal justice system which punted, passed and kicked Gomez-Gutierrez out of jail, so that he could do what he does best -- drive drunk."

cindy.horswell@chron.com


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...e/4665247.html

For the first misdemeanor conviction in 2002, he received 60 days confinement and for the second misdemeanor conviction in 2004 he was sentenced to only 10 days.

WHAT?????

Maybe he was carrying his Johnny Sutton illegal alien get out of jail free card???

According to investigators, Gomez-Gutierrez was speeding on the Eastex Freeway about 3:40 p.m. Sunday when his pickup truck slammed into the back of a 1998 Buick belonging to the Ortiz family.

Were the Ortiz family members Mexican nationals? Did the Ortiz family have a valid license to operate a motor vehicle? Did the Ortiz family have valid insurance? I would be interested in the facts---I bet no one bothered to check that either.