May 31 – A 30-year-old man from Odessa was arrested early Friday morning following an accident that killed his passenger.
According to a Texas Department of Public Safety arrest affidavit, Mario Lopez Valdez was involved in a single-vehicle crash shortly before 1 a.m. Friday in Ector County that killed Luis Carlos Lujan-Gameros, 51 years old.
A Chevrolet Impala was traveling south on State Loop 338 near post 252 when it veered off the west side of the roadway, according to DPS.
Originally, DPS reported that Lujan-Gameros was driving the Impala, but according to the arrest affidavit, Lopez admitted he was driving the car and troopers saw a seatbelt mark on his left collarbone. .
Lopez admitted he had had six alcoholic drinks at a friend’s house before the accident and had performed poorly on field sobriety tests, the report said.
Lopez was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by intoxication, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. He remains in the Ector County jail on a $50,000 bond and detention from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.