Bastrop County Commissioner Charged With DWI

Bastrop County Commissioner, John Klaus, was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Tuesday night. Torry Lail heard the accident and described it as sounding like a train wreck. Lail said, “He must have gone about 300 feet…and he was probably doing every bit of 60 miles per hour.” Lail said the front end of Klaus’ pickup truck was stuck on barrels that were on Lail’s property.

“He came in through this ditch right here and then hit and jumped over that fence line right over here…and he went right in between the tree and the burn pile over here…right there, he pretty much went through and knocked a few more trees down and came all the way over here and finally rested on this barrel.”

Lail pointed out the leftover damage that was left behind. “There’s pieces of the headlight and blinker. Beyond that tree I know we picked up a headlight and a mirror over here and we’re still looking for the front license plate.”

The arrest affidavit said that Klaus admitted to having one beer. Deputies on the scene reported seeing two 12-ounce cans of beer inside the Commissioner’s truck. The report also alleges that Klaus was stumbling and slurring. Lail described Klaus’ demeanor, “Whenever I went to open the driver’s door, he was about to get out and then he just said, ‘ugh’ and then closed the door real fast after he pushed me out of the way and threw it in gear and then turned the wheel toward me.”

Lail said that Klaus pulled onto a log and could not go any further, and said that his trailer hitch hit the tree, which gave Lail enough time to jump in the backseat, throw the vehicle in park, and grab the keys. Lail said that Klaus did apologize. Klaus was arrested for drunk driving, but no statements have been released about his DWI arrest.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Texas DWI attorney for legal assistance.