Lake Worth man accused in traffic death of detective had alcohol level of 0.14: warrant
A Lake Worth man accused of intoxication manslaughter in the weekend traffic death of a Euless detective had an alcohol level that was almost twice the legal limit after consuming three double vodka Red Bull drinks in about two hours, according to a warrant.
Dylan Anthony Molina told Lake Worth police he was “enjoying himself” when he began drinking late Saturday morning at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in Lake Worth, and he drove away from the restaurant Saturday afternoon, according to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday.
Within minutes, Molina was involved in a minor traffic wreck near Fuzzy’s, and he fled the scene at a high rate of speed, Lake Worth police said. No one was injured in the minor crash.
But Molina, driving a Jeep Wrangler, ran a red light at Rocky Point Trail and Boat Club Road in Lake Worth, killing off-duty Euless police Detective Alejandro “Alex” Cervantes Jr., critically injuring his wife and seriously injuring their two children, a 12-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy. Alex Cervantes, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Lake Worth resident saw Molina running from the scene after the fatal accident and detained him until police arrived.
Molina, 26, remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Monday with bond set at $300,000.
He faces one charge of intoxication manslaughter, one charge of accident involving serious bodily injury/death and three counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, according to jail records.
The warrant written by Lake Worth Senior Officer R. Watson provided these other details on the fatal crash:
Molina arrived at 11 a.m. Saturday at Fuzzy’s and began drinking, and left about 1 p.m.
Officials with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are assisting Lake Worth police in the investigation, but they could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Molina fled his first minor traffic crash, but he slammed into Cervantes’ car at a Lake Worth intersection minutes later, striking it on the driver’s side.
A motorist at the intersection captured the fatal accident on an in-car dash camera, showing that Molina failed to stop at a red light and crashed into Cervantes’ car.
After he was arrested, Molina admitted to driving the Jeep Wrangler that hit the off-duty officer’s car. Watson noted that he detected a strong odor of alcohol on Molina and the Lake Worth man’s speech was very slurred, according to the warrant.
Molina consented to a preliminary breath test and it showed the breath alcohol content at 0.144, over the Texas legal limit of 0.08.
Molina also had a THC cartridge vaporizer.
The Lake Worth Police Department is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team.
Cervantes had been on the Euless police force for almost seven years and was a member of the Euless Police Department Honor Guard Team. He had also previously served eight years with the El Paso Police Department.
Euless Police Chief Mike Brown described Cervantes at a televised news conference Sunday as a great man. “If you’re an old guy like me and you have kids, you want your son to grow up like that. If you’re a kid, you want him to be your dad,” he said. “... That was just the way he was. Never did I hear a negative word come out of his month about anybody or anything.”
Brown said that on Nov. 28, 1982, he responded when another Euless officer, Michael Williamson, was killed after his patrol car was hit head-on by a drunk driver. The chief said this weekend’s fatal crash, 39 years later, serves as another tragic reminder of the consequences of driving while intoxicated.
“To lose a fellow servant, and he was a true servant, like this — tragically, needlessly — there’s just no excuse for this anymore,” Brown said.
Cervantes’ wife was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital and the children were taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center.
Funeral arrangements for Cervantes are pending at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst.
