Emilio Navaira DWI: Tejano Singer Was Driving While Intoxicated in Texas During Crash

Emilio Navaira accused of drunk driving in Houston accident.

Tejano singer Emilio Navaira was driving under the influence of alcohol when he crashed the band’s tour bus in Houston in March. Harris County officials say that Texas DWI and intoxication assault charges may be filed soon.

Navaira has suffered critical injuries from being thrown through the windshield when he crashed the bus on Loop 410 in west Houston very early Easter morning. He underwent two brain surgeries, and doctors at Memorial Hermann hospital at the Texas Medical Center say his condition is improving. Four band members were treated for minor injuries and released and one member remains in the hospital in good condition with stomach injuries.

In a report released by the Bellaire Police Department, Navaira was driving while intoxicated when he slammed into traffic barrels and a concrete divider on March 23. The Harris County prosecutor said that Navaira, 45, had a commercial driver’s license but not a ‘passenger endorsement’ as required to operate a tour bus. That is a Class C misdemeanor.

Navaira has a previous Texas DWI in San Antonio stemming from an accident in January 2005, and he is paying a fine for another Bexar County drunk driving arrest in 2000. According to Texas DWI laws, an ignition interlock device is required for motorists arrested for 2 or more arrests for driving while intoxicated. An alternative is to have the offender wear an alcohol detecting ankle bracelet and take medication that reacts violently with alcohol. A San Antonio judge waived all of the above requirements.

The 2005 case is still pending, as Navaira’s DWI defense attorney has filed seven motions for suppression of evidence. Because of the 2000 offense however, a conviction in either the recent Houston drunk driving incident or the 2005 San Antonio DWI would raise the remaining case to a felony.

Navaira’s fans have expressed more concern about his recovery than the outcome of the Texas DWI cases.

If you have been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated in Harris County you will need to hire a Houston DWI attorney.

Posted Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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