Records show on Sunday evening, 34-year-old Emanuel Camacho-Patino appeared in court, was charged with felony murder, and had his bond set at $1 million.
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He is accused of being drunk while driving with his son on FM-2100 at East FM-1960 at about 9 p.m. Saturday. According to deputies, the boy was sitting in the passenger seat without a seat belt and was partially ejected from the truck when it rolled into a ditch.
Bond set at $1M for dad accused of driving drunk, causing crash that killed 10-year-old son: RECORDS
The sheriff's office said the truck's back left tire tread cap came off, and Camacho-Patino failed to control the vehicle.
Eyewitness News learned that Camacho-Patino admitted to drinking two 12-ounce Modelo beers at a friend's house before driving home with his son.
On Tuesday, the judge lowered his bond to $100,000, declining the state's request to keep it at $1 million.
The judge said his ties to the community and lack of criminal history helped his case. Although, records show Camacho-Patino has a prior charge for reckless driving in 2013
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Court records also show he has lived in the area for 18 years, has been married for 19 years, and has worked at the same job for eight years as a machine operator. The judge added that the previous bond amount was set at an oppressive amount.
"The state did indicate there was evidence of a blowout," Camancho-Patino's defense attorney said. "This could have been an accident. He's not a threat to the community."
Attorneys argued that there was no breath test given, and the state is waiting for a blood draw to get back so they can determine his blood alcohol content.
Under bond conditions, Camacho-Patino has no access to his four surviving kids, who are 16, 14, 13, and 8 years old, without his wife present or a person designated by his wife. He must surrender his passport, cannot travel outside of Harris County, is not allowed to have weapons or alcohol, and will be required to wear a GPS monitor.
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