Texas state representative Naomi Gonzalez charged with DUI

Another Texas state representative joined the ranks of a recent slew of government officials charged with DUI/DWI s.

Naomi Gonzalez, Texas state representative of the 76th district has been charged with driving while intoxicated after a collision occurred at 2 a.m., March 14 in Travis County.

In an interview with the Texas Capitol Report, Gonzalez confirmed the details of an incident entailing three people being sent to the hospital, including herself. An unidentified male was struck while driving and in turn propelled into a cyclist.

All three had been released from the hospital by March 14 and injuries have been reported to be minimal.

This year has marked the trials of three separate state representatives also charged with respective DWIs/DUIs
Bakari Sellers of South Carolina was charged with a DWI after refusing a breathalyzer test in December 2011 and was set to face a trial by jury in February.

In another case Cherelle Parker, of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, was found guilty of driving under the influence in January of 2011 and faces up to six months of jail time.

Tennessee representative Todd Curry was found guilty of driving under the influence and gun possession charges from January  2011 and has subsequently resigned from his seat in the state’s house of representatives.

The charges being faced by Gonzalez may not hold as much weight as others though. A precedent set in 2010 by another Texas representative, Eddie Rodriguez, left the public with a bad taste in its mouth.

Accusations of preferential treatment arose from several websites such as, radoris.com and therichest.org, after the court quickly dismissed all charges against Rodriguez citing a lack of “sufficient cause” to pull him over.  The affidavit read “The vehicle failed to drive in a single marked lane.” and lead to some outcry within the state and claims of unfair treatment within the courts.

“Judge David Crain should be removed from the bench for giving a state of Texas representative preferential treatment that would not be given to the average person,” an anonymous person said on therichest.org.