Candidate for state representative charged with DWI
MISSION — A prominent engineer running for state office will fight a charge of driving while intoxicated, his attorney said Thursday.
Mission Municipal Court Judge Jonathan Wehrmeister arraigned Eddie Saenz, 47, of Edinburg, on a DWI charge Thursday afternoon. The charge stems from a traffic stop early Saturday morning on the 2200 block of East Farm-to-Market Road 495.
An officer stopped Saenz for turning without signaling but then smelled alcohol on Saenz’s breath and noted his speech was slurred, court documents show. The officer also noted that Saenz performed poorly during a field sobriety test and then refused a breath test.
Mission police said he would have been charged and booked that night, but the arresting officer found himself inundated with other calls. Given Saenz’s deep community ties, police considered him a low flight risk and officers let him go.
The charge comes less than three weeks after Saenz launched a campaign for state representative. He has challenged incumbent Aaron Peña in next year’s Democratic primary election. They are vying to represent District 40, which includes much of northern Hidalgo County, including all of Edinburg and parts of McAllen.
Saenz turned himself in to Mission police Thursday afternoon and was arraigned shortly thereafter. He went free on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond afterward.
Ricardo Salinas, a Mission-based lawyer representing Saenz, said his client’s political connections may have contributed to his arrest.
“(Mission police Chief Leo Longoria) is real stern about that stuff,” Salinas said after the arraignment. “He doesn’t play favorites.”
Salinas plans to review the video of Saenz’s sobriety test. In the meantime, he said he hopes the public withholds judgment.
“For someone like Mr. Saenz, it’s important to make sure this is resolved and he is cleared,” Salinas said.
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Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.
