Two years following a fatal hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of Harris County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Ramon Gutierrez, a guilty verdict has been rendered. Lavillia Spry, aged 40, was convicted of intoxication manslaughter in connection with the 2022 crash that ended the sergeant's life while he was conducting an off-duty motorcycle escort. Click2Houston reported the jury's decision today, putting a close to one chapter of a case that had resonated through the community.
The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning in the 8900 block of E. Sam Houston Parkway North. As recounted by Click2Houston and FOX 26 Houston, Sgt. Gutierrez was outside of his bike, blocking an exit ramp to ensure the safe travel for an oversized load, when he was fatally struck. The driver, Spry, was found to have been highly intoxicated.
According to investigators, Sergeant Gutierrez, a 20-year veteran of the department, had been directing traffic for a convoy of oversized machinery on the road when the incident happened. Harris County Vehicular Crimes Division Chief Sean Teare described Spry’s actions as “selfish” and reckless, stating to Click2Houston, "too intoxicated to care," as she drove around the motorcycle and hit the sergeant. An immediate search followed, culminating in her apprehension by deputies, who determined her level of intoxication through field sobriety tests.
Spry's failure to stop and render aid to a Gutierrez, alongside the charge of evading arrest, only magnified the repercussions she faced in the wake of the accident. Sgt. Gutierrez, remembered by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez as a dedicated member of the Vehicular Crimes Division and an integral part of the law enforcement community, left behind a wife, a daughter, and two sons. His death was not only a loss to his immediate family but to the broader collective that had come to respect and rely on his years of service.
Now convicted, Lavillia Spry awaits the penal consequences of her actions. This verdict comes as a poignant reminder of the dangers of intoxicated driving and the irreversible harm it can inflict on individuals, families, and entire communities. The law enforcement officials, moved by Sgt. Gutierrez's tragic death, have expressed a commitment to ensuring that justice is served, as reported by Click2Houston following the jury's decision.
