Brownsville’s Cameron County Precinct 2 Commissioner Joey Lopez is facing a driving while intoxicated charge after a late-night fender bender on the 1100 block of Ruben M. Torres Boulevard. Police say the 66-year-old commissioner was the driver at fault, showed signs of intoxication at the scene, and was involved in what they described as a minor traffic crash with no reported injuries. Lopez was booked into the Brownsville city jail, then released on a $2,500 bond.
Crash and arrest
According to Brownsville police, officers responded around 11 p.m. Tuesday after Lopez allegedly rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped at a stop sign. Investigators at the scene said Lopez displayed signs of intoxication during their investigation. He was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and taken into custody before bonding out later. KRGV Channel 5 News reported the crash details and carried Lopez’s brief on-air apology.
Runoff race puts commissioner in spotlight
The arrest lands right in the thick of campaign season. Lopez fell short of the 50 percent mark in the March 3 Democratic primary and is headed for a May 26 runoff against challenger Joseph L. Lucio. Official county totals list Lopez with 4,322 votes, or 40.71 percent, in a multi-candidate race, leaving the Precinct 2 seat to be decided in the spring runoff. The full vote breakdown is available from Cameron County.
Lopez’s statement and local reaction
In a statement after the arrest, Lopez said he is “deeply sorry,” promised to cooperate with the legal process, and pointed to the grief he is still processing after the August 2025 death of his wife, Sylvia. His campaign manager, Lillian Torres, declined to comment to a reporter, and a county office coordinator ended a call when contacted about the arrest. Those reactions, along with the context of Lopez’s apology, were detailed by MySA.
What the charge means
Lopez is charged under Texas law with Driving While Intoxicated, an offense defined in Texas Penal Code §49.04. In most situations it is prosecuted as a Class B misdemeanor. Under the punishment provisions for Class B misdemeanors in Penal Code §12.22, a conviction can mean up to 180 days in county jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Any actual sentence would depend on the specific facts of the case and Lopez’s prior record, if any.
