The suspect, Florian Quintanilla-Riva, was pulled from his mangled SUV with a blood-alcohol level of .47, about six times the legal limit, and taken to the hospital under police supervision.
Two days later, James, a 79-year-old husband and father, died of his injuries.
Police wanted to charge Quintanilla-Riva with intoxication manslaughter, but there was a problem. He was nowhere to be found.
The Houston Police Department apparently freed the 26-year-old suspect from custody without charging him with anything.
"They completely dropped the ball, and we've made that clear to them," Assistant Harris County District Attorney Daniel Werlinger said Wednesday. "Now it's up to HPD's warrant team or someone who tracks fugitives to track him down and bring him back to the country."
Investigators believe Quintanilla-Riva fled the country after being freed. He previously had been deported, but he returned to the U.S. The prosecutor did not know what country Quintanilla-Riva is originally from. His immigration status is unclear.
After the wreck, Quintanilla-Riva was first taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where his blood-alcohol level was high enough to be lethal for some people. Werlinger said Quintanilla-Riva eventually was taken to an HPD jail.
Charges not sent over
"It's my understanding they sat on him at the hospital, then put him into custody at the jail once the hospital released him," Werlinger said. "He was supposed to be booked in on a DWI, but those charges weren't ever sent to the DA's office."@ http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Intoxication-manslaughter-suspect-freed-by-HPD-5495420.php...Get that Advocates say the move would help local police concentrate on dangerous criminals..Right....So much for being a nation of laws..
Future food stamp recipient, demoCRAP voters.
How can they do fewer than zero?
An illegal got drunk and ran over a little girl here not too long ago. He made bail for some odd reason, and ICE was too busy to pick him up. He promptly split for Mehseeco.
But he’s probably back now using a new identity, different community.
Nonviolent. How long do you measure that? That kid that shot everyone today was nonviolent up to today, 22 years nonviolent up to today.
Murder, rape, and assault don’t count as violent I guess.
Jeh
Secure Communities
bee ess
What do we need with homeland security then?
Is there really any difference? NEITHER crook has to pay a PENALTY (incarceration) for criminal offenses!