By james art One person has been arrested in connection with the crash that killed a Texas trooper in September in Ector County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, members of the DPS Texas Highway Patrol State Crash Reconstruction Team arrested Laura Lorena Rodriguez, 50, at her home in Odessa on charges stemming from the crash that claimed the life of Texas Highway Patrolman Kevin Ramirez Vasquez.
The crash happened Sept. 17 on State Highway 302 in Ector County. Vasquez, 25, was outside his vehicle investigating an earlier traffic accident on that road with Ector County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Tombs, who was inside his patrol unit.
According to DPS, that’s when Rodriguez’s vehicle hit Toombs’ patrol car, which hit Vasquez. Both Tombs and Vazquez were injured, with Vazquez having to be taken to Odessa Medical Center Hospital for serious injuries.
Previous AJ reports said Vasquez was airlifted to a Lubbock hospital where he died of his injuries on September 28.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Employees Association created a Help A Hero fundraiser for Vasquez’s family under the name of Trooper Kevin Ramirez Vasquez.
Rodriguez is now charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon against a public servant, a first-degree felony, according to DPS. She was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Ector County Jail.
DPS also used this opportunity to remind everyone of Texas’ move over or slow down law, which requires drivers to move over and put a strip between them and emergency personnel on the side of the road or reduce their speed to 20 mph below posted speed limit when passing law enforcement, first responders, tow trucks, utility vehicles, and TxDOT vehicles stopped with hazard lights activated.
Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to $1,250 for first-time offenders and up to a $4,000 fine and jail time if the driver causes serious injury.