There were also two drunk driving fatalities with one resulting in a murder charge.
The arrests were made between December 26 and January 1, a period when a lot of people didn’t have to go to work. Teare thinks the extended holiday period a lot to do with high numbers.
During that period there were two alcohol-related fatality crashes. A 44-year-old woman was killed in a crash around 1:30 AM New Year’s Day on the North Freeway Frontage Road at Burress Street. Twenty-six-year-old Carlos Salazar-Roque is now charged in that case.
On New Year’s Eve, 11-year-old Vanessa Ledezma died in a crash at Highway 90 and Beltway 8. Her father, 33-year-old Jorge Ledezma Echavarria, is charged with murder. Teare said they upgraded the charge because Echavarria was also committing the felony offense of driving drunk with a child passenger.
With one of the highest DWI fatality rates in the country, Teare said drunk driving isn’t just a problem during the holidays. They have to deal with it year-round.