SAN ANTONIO - On separate occasions, two off-duty San Antonio police officers were arrested for a DWI within a few hours of each other.
The first incident happened late Thursday night when SAPD was dispatched to an accident at West Loop 1604 North at Culebra Road. When the officer arrived he found 39-year-old and 11-year veteran of the force Gena Rodriguez in the driver seat of a 2016 Nissan Altima.
Rodriguez had rear-ended a 2011 Ford F150 which forced the truck into the rear of a 2000 Ford F150. According to SAPD, three children all under 15-years-old and one in a car seat were in the back seat of Rodriguez’s car.
When EMS arrived, Rodriguez refused to let them treat her children, police said. One child had a bump on his arm that was caused by the accident, but there were no serious injuries.
The officer on the scene smelled intoxicants on Rodriguez’s breath and observed her slurred speech. Once he determined she was intoxicated, he made a notification and a relative came to the scene to pick up the children.
After a DWI officer arrived on the scene, Rodriguez’s car was impounded.
A few hours later early Friday morning, 46-year-old and 20-year veteran of the force Harold Thomaston was booked for DWI. Thomaston was off duty at the time and was driving next to an officer on duty in his pickup truck near Wurbach Road and Fernglen Drive,
Thomaston drove very close to the officer’s lane and ran a red light right in front of the officer.
The officer stopped Thomaston for the violation and discovered he had been drinking.
“DWI is so preventable; I’m disappointed that these two officers would put public lives at risk by getting behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol,” SAPD Chief William McManus said in a press release. “Both have been placed on administrative leave pending a full internal and criminal investigation.”
Rodriguez was charged with driving with intoxicated with a child under 15 and Thomaston was charged with driving while intoxicated.