Charges dropped against man who struck GPD officer with car
In a remarkable development, felony charges have been dismissed by the Gonzales County Attorney’s Office against a man accused of striking Gonzales Police Officer Marisol Sanchez with his vehicle more than three years ago.
Pavel Antonio Ramirez and his attorney Eddie Escobar appeared in court before 2nd 25th District Judge Jessica Crawford on Tuesday, Oct. 8, seeking dismissal of charges of aggravated assault on a public servant as well as intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. The Gonzales County Attorney’s Office complied with their request.
“This case has been pending approximately two years and it was a complex case, not only factually, but legally as well,” Escobar told the Inquirer. “It involved expert witnesses on both the prosecution side and the defense as well. The case essentially boiled down to the lack of evidence proving any kind of intoxication and a lack of evidence rising to the level of recklessness, pursuant to the legal definition in the (Texas Penal) Code.”
“After reviewing the case, we were not able to prove the intoxication element necessary for an intoxication assault charge and we could not not prove the reckless side of it when it came to aggravated assault on a public servant,” First Assistant County Attorney David Smith said. “This is a case where the defendant was civilly negligent, for sure, but there is a higher standard for criminal recklessness. Based on the facts we had, we were not able to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Sanchez was assisting the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office with traffic diversion after a collision between two 18-wheelers on I-10 by mile marker 655 near Waelder on June 14, 2021, when she was hit by a car authorities say was driven by Ramirez. Sanchez was airlifted to Ascension Seton Hays Hospital in Kyle, but has since recovered and come back to work for GPD.
Escobar said his client is ready to move forward with his life.
“On these types of cases, there are no winners or losers,” Escobar said. “It was a terrible situation for the Officer involved (Sanchez) and for Mr. Ramirez as this has impacted both of their lives in a negative way. I pray that both parties involved can move forward and put this ill-fated time in their lives behind them.”
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