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.
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
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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