SOUTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY- A drunk driver struck a Texas Department of Public Safety patrol vehicle running radar on the inside shoulder of the main lanes of Interstate 45 near Highway 242 around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, according to DPS Sgt. Terry Barnhill.
“While one of our Woodlands Troopers was working stationary radar on I-45 northbound and watching traffic going toward him, a vehicle swerved into the inside shoulder and struck his patrol car,” Barnhill said.
Trooper Derochez followed the suspect and made a traffic stop as other troopers came to his assistance.
“The investigation shows that the driver of the black Ford F150 that struck our marked DPS patrol car was intoxicated,” Barnhill said. “He’s in custody at this time.”
The driver was identified as 27-year-old Alfred Ceron-Esquivel of New Waverly.
A blood sample was taken at an area hospital and will be processed as evidence at the DPS lab, Barnhill said.
“The shoulder is clearly marked,” he said. “We think he was possibly passing a vehicle in the fast lane and thought the shoulder was another lane, then our patrol car was stationed there and he struck it.”
Surprisingly, damage to the patrol car was minimal, since Trooper Derochez saw the vehicle approaching and shifted from park to drive, almost managing to move out of the way completely before Ceron-Esquivel’s truck struck his patrol car. Barnhill said the suspect also swerved trying to avoid a collision at the last minute. Neither man reported injuries.
UPDATE:
June 8, 2009
The drunk driver who struck a Texas Department of Public Safety patrol vehicle running radar on the inside shoulder of the main lanes of Interstate 45 early Sunday was also an illegal immigrant.
Alfredo Ceron-Esquivel, 27, of New Waverly is charged with driving while intoxicated, accident involving damage to vehicle greater than $200 and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on him, so he is not eligible for release on bond and will be deported when he completes his sentence or is cleared.
