A 32-year-old Del Rio man is facing an intoxication assault charge after police say his vehicle slammed into another car at high speed on U.S. Highway 90 East, seriously injuring the other driver. Francisco Javier Sandoval was arrested and booked following the two-vehicle crash near Dallas Drive earlier this month, according to the Del Rio Police Department.
According to WOAI News 4 San Antonio, police say Sandoval's vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it collided with another vehicle traveling eastbound on Highway 90, based on a preliminary investigation and witness statements. Both drivers were found conscious and responsive at the scene, and emergency medical personnel evaluated each of them, though both vehicles sustained significant damage in the impact.
Odor of Alcohol Reported, but No Roadside Sobriety Test
Officers reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol on one driver's breath and person, but did not conduct standardized field sobriety tests at the scene because of the crash-related injuries, per the report. That call tracks with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidance, cited by Sheffron Law Firm, which advises officers to skip the balance-and-attention roadside tests when injuries could make performing them unsafe or unreliable. Police instead asked the driver for a voluntary blood sample, which he refused.
Investigators went on to obtain a search warrant authorizing collection of a blood sample, and the sample was later collected and submitted into evidence, according to the same account. Sandoval was taken to Val Verde Regional Medical Center, which serves as Del Rio's chief trauma and emergency facility for the county, per 830Times, before he was booked on the intoxication assault charge and transferred into custody.
Booked Into the County's GEO-Run Jail
Sandoval was transferred to the Val Verde County Detention Facility, a 1,407-bed jail operated by The GEO Group under contract with Val Verde County to house county, state and federal pre-trial detainees. It's the same facility where Del Rio books suspects in other serious injury cases moving through the local court system.
This isn't the only injury-crash arrest to hit Del Rio this year. In June, Hoodline reported that an off-duty officer was arrested following a monthslong investigation into a late-2025 motorcycle crash on Spur 239 that severely injured his passenger, and he was likewise booked into the GEO-run detention facility.
A Busy Corridor Toward Uvalde and San Antonio
U.S. Highway 90 East is one of Del Rio's busiest arteries, carrying heavy commuter, commercial and Laughlin Air Force Base traffic between Val Verde County and cities like Uvalde and San Antonio, according to a transportation report catalogued by ROSA P. That volume is part of why a high-speed collision on the corridor near Dallas Drive posed such a serious risk to both drivers.
Felony Charge Carries Up to a Decade Behind Bars
Intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony under Texas law, punishable by two to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000 upon conviction, according to Justia Law. Texas defines serious bodily injury as harm that creates a substantial risk of death, causes permanent disfigurement, or results in protracted loss or impairment of a bodily function.
Because the driver initially declined testing, officers relied on Texas Transportation Code procedures that let police seek a magistrate-approved warrant for a nonconsensual blood draw following a refusal in an injury crash, per FindLaw. A refusal also triggers a separate civil process, automatically suspending a driver's license and giving them just 15 days from notice to request an administrative hearing, under rules described by Deandra Grant Law.
Part of a Larger Statewide Problem
The Del Rio case adds to a grim statewide pattern. More than 1,000 people died in alcohol-related crashes across Texas in 2024, accounting for nearly a quarter of all traffic fatalities statewide, according to Vision Zero ATX, citing Texas Department of Transportation data. Texas logged more than 22,000 alcohol-related crashes in 2025, and a single DWI conviction can cost a driver up to $17,000 in fines, legal fees and other penalties, per HealthFocus SA.
