HOUSTON — A man is charged with intoxication assault after a boating accident in east Harris County Sunday. That charge could be upgraded to murder.
Investigators say Galan Ruiz was operating a boat when it slammed into a bulkhead along the San Jacinto River at Rio Villa. Ruiz and a woman were injured and transported to the hospital. Another man who was on board is still missing.
Charges could be upgraded once they find that missing person. Searching for him will be tough, though, because of all the debris that has piled up recently due to heavy rain.
RELATED: 1 missing, 2 hurt after boat hits bulkhead at full speed on San Jacinto River, sheriff says
If the missing person is found alive, Ruiz will likely face an additional charge of intoxication assault. If he's not alive when he's found, Harris County assistant district attorney Sean Teare says Ruiz will be charged with felony murder, based on his two prior DWI convictions.
“Everybody involved is praying that’s what happened, that he was disoriented and is alive somewhere,” said Teare. “That’s the best case scenario, so we’re not going to file a charge or speculate as to identity until we actually have definitive evidence one way or the other.”
Teare says there’s video of the incident, showing the boat going at a high rated of speed before crashing into the bulkhead.
“This is just another example of how deadly it can be to mix alcohol and motor vehicles of any kind,” said Teare. “It’s an extra added danger when you add water to it.”
Second boat crash in one week
Jacob Vernon Breaux, 23, of Baytown, was charged with three counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle with bonds totaling $200,000.
The sheriff's office identified the victims as: Laura Kay Grant, 48, of Mont Belvieu, and William Robert Bowles, 36, of Baytown who were pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Precinct 6, Larry Cryer at the scene. Zachary Jackson Miles, 29 of Beach City, succumbed to his injuries and died at Hermann Memorial Hospital after being flown by helicopter from the scene.
That crash involved two boats on Old River Lake near Hugo Point County Park. None of the occupants in either boats were wearing life jackets, the game warden said.
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