Man detained and charged after crashing into deputy's vehicle and wrong-way driving
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man is behind bars after slamming into a deputy constables vehicle and allegedly driving drunk.
"Coming off a side street, turned northbound on 249 and almost immediately after making his turn, he observed a vehicle going the wrong way, coming right at him," Constable Mark Herman with Precinct 4 explained.
That wrong-way impact ended with that deputy's vehicle banged up and Noelvin Rodriguez charged with a DWI. His bond is set at $500, but we're told, I.C.E. has a federal hold on him.
As for the crash, miraculously, no one was hurt or killed.
"The man upstairs was certainly looking out for the folks at Precinct 4 with our deputy being the victim," Constable Herman continued.
There have been several other wrong-way crashes recently, including one on Pierce Elevated June 2 and another on North Freeway June 6, which 22-year-old Elizabeth Nichols was arrested for.
The Texas Department of Transportation says it saw an uptick in those crashes a few years back and decided to take action. It's since put up more wrong way and do not enter signs - as well as additional striping, reflective stickers and LED lights that light up to warn a driver.
The constables monitor the toll roads, which signal dispatch if a wrong-way driver is detected.
Thankfully, this latest incident ended in a best-case scenario, but Constable Herman still encourages everyone to stay alert.
"Drive defensively. You come up to an intersection and you have a green light, look both ways before you venture out into that intersection, for these reasons," he said.
Drunk driving is also a problem. Precinct 4 says it had roughly 800 DWI arrests last year in its jurisdiction alone.
