Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8) will get off with probation after her second DWI arrest.
Her blood alcohol concentration was determined to be nearly twice the .08 legal limit when she was pulled over near I-10 and Fresno Street on July 24. Police body camera footage from the night shows her telling an officer she hadn’t had any alcohol, and arguing over whether a sobriety test was needed.
Under Texas law, a DWI charge is elevated to a Class A misdemeanor if a driver’s blood alcohol concentration is 0.15 or higher.
But like other local officials who’ve been arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving in recent years, Meza Gonzalez hired an attorney to fight it, and was ultimately charged with a lower crime.
She pleaded no contest to a charge of highway obstruction and received deferred adjunction with nine months probation, 24 hours of community service and a $1,270 fee. Records indicate she had already completed some required education courses in advance of her hearing on Tuesday.
Meza Gonzalez was temporarily removed from her council committee assignments and admonished by colleagues, but business has since largely returned to normal, with the council nominating her for a position on the Bexar Central Appraisal District board.
Before serving on the council she was charged with a DWI in 2010, but was acquitted by a jury and had it expunged from her record.
Andrea Drusch writes about local government for the San Antonio Report. She’s covered politics in Washington, D.C., and Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, National Journal and Politico.
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