Two officers from the San Antonio Police Department have found themselves on the receiving end of suspensions following an incident in which they allowed an allegedly intoxicated driver to drive himself home, a journey spanning nearly 40 miles. According to records obtained by KSAT Investigates, Officers Christopher Westbrook and Kayla Lecea decided not to arrest the driver after he reportedly showed signs of intoxication during a field sobriety test, this taking place after he nearly struck a pole and mounted a curb.
In the early hours of June 28, 2025, the officers pulled over the suspect for running a red light the location of the stop was near West Sunset Road and Everest Avenue, and during the encounter, Westbrook expressed his suspicion that the man might not only be drunk but also potentially under the influence of narcotics, however, despite Westbrook's expressed concerns, a drug recognition expert was not called to the scene. "We think he's a drunk driver, but there's definitely something else wrong with him. He might be on, on some sort of narcotics or something," Westbrook informed Animal Care Services officers who responded to help with the driver's dog, according to the Fox San Antonio report.
The situation escalated as Westbrook called a supervisor, who then instructed him to call for EMS; nonetheless, this action was not taken, and no follow-up was conducted. Rather than proceeding with an arrest, the officers presented the driver with an option: call a friend or face jail. "We don't deem you safe enough to drive," Westbrook stated, as documented in the suspension records. Eventually, after an hour and fifteen minutes past the initial stop, Westbrook purportedly suggested to Lecea they could "let him go," after which they temporarily departed but returned with threats of arrest if the driver had remained, as per KSAT.
Ensuing the failure to secure an alternate means of transport for the driver, and after considerable indecision, the officers ultimately left the scene at 4:15 a.m., leaving the driver his keys—herein the driver embarked on the lengthy trip back to his residence. To compound matters, it was later discovered that both Westbrook and Lecea had turned off their body-worn cameras during the traffic stop. As a result of this sequence of events, both officers faced indefinite suspensions initially, yet through appeal, Westbrook and Lecea received a reduction in their punishments to 30 and 20-day suspensions without pay, respectively, which began in late 2025 as reported by KSAT and Fox San Antonio.
