Niel Smith charged with intox manslaughter in death of deputy's father

75-year old Neil Smith has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the death of 54-year old Danny Hunt.  On Saturday November 3rd Danny Hunt and his son Chase Hunt, an off-duty Galveston County Deputy Sheriff, were riding their motorcycles on Highway 6 near FM 2004 it Hitchcock, Texas around 1:00 a.m. Investigators say that at some point Chase's baseball cap fell off so the men pulled to the side of the road and chase went to retrieve his hat.  At that point Neil Smith's Ford SUV struck Danny Hunt. Smith continued driving for about a half mile until damage to the SUV forced him to stop.  Danny Hunt was pronounced dead at the scene. Channel 2's story is here. Galveston Daily News story here. This weekend marked the conclusion of the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, a motorcycle rally that drew 500,000 people to Galveston Island. According to initial police reports, 19 people were charged with drunken driving, including Neil Smith.

Neil Smith is charged with
 intoxication manslaughter.

1 dead, 4 hurt when Mustang crashes off Galveston seawall

18-year old Irvin Ruiz died Sunday when a 2004 Ford Mustang driven by an 18-year old friend left the roadway and went over the Galveston seawall near 1st Street at the far east end of the island. The four others in the car were the driver Aaron Ceballos (19), Luis Aguirre (16), Alexis Williamson (14) and Celeste Plesada (14). Ruiz was a student in the Texas City Independent School District and had planned to join the U.S. Army after graduation. Police are investigating the accident and have not yet determined whether Ceballos will face charges. Channel 2's article is here.

Update: according to a Galveston Daily News story published 09/22/12, the 19-year old driver was unlicensed.