New charges for driver accused in wreck that killed deputy
BAYTOWN, TX (KTRK) -- The woman who investigators say caused a wreck that killed a Harris County deputy last month is now facing new charges.
Kelly Ivey, 29, is now facing intoxication manslaughter charges. That's on top of the original charges of possession of a controlled substance, which were filed shortly after the wreck on East Wallisville Road on October 28 that killed Harris County Deputy Jesse Valdez III, 32. Deputy Valdez was en route to a welfare check call at the time. On Monday, she was also charged with intoxication manslaughter.
Deputy Valdez's vehicle spun counter-clockwise into a roadside drainage ditch, trapping him inside. Emergency crews used extraction tools to free the deputy and then airlifted him to Memorial Hermann Trauma Center, where he died.
Ivey, 29, was transported via ground to the same hospital, where she was treated and released to the Harris County Jail. Authorities say she had three grams of methamphetamine.
Ivey was released from Texas prison on Oct. 2 after serving part of a two-year sentence on a previous, unrelated methamphetamine case, authorities say.
In March, Ivey pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and agreed to the two-year sentence, according to court records. She was released from prison on parole this month, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Ivey served time behind bars in two earlier theft cases, according to court records.
