On January 18, 2023, 49 year old, Juan Martinez was found guilty of felony DWI (with two or more prior convictions) and Evading Arrest with a Vehicle by an Atascosa County jury.
Martinez was stopped by Atascosa County Deputy Guy Bruce after he noticed Martinez driving all over the road on I37. Martinez admitted to drinking too much. Trooper Tyler Justice conducted the DWI investigation and determined Martinez was intoxicated.
Martinez chose to have the judge determine his sentence after an Atascosa jury found him guilty. Martinez was facing 25 years to life in prison based on his criminal record. The judge heard evidence that Martinez had two prior prison sentences, one for DWI and another for Intoxication Manslaughter (killing someone while intoxicated). His criminal history included 3 more DWI convictions as well as a prior Evading Arrest conviction. In addition, he cut his ankle monitor off while awaiting trial, and admitted to drinking “hooch” while in the jail. The Honorable Judge Dillingham sentenced Martinez to 46 years in prison on Monday.
We are grateful for the service of our Atascosa jurors, our ACSO and DPS for getting Martinez off the roads and preventing Martinez from putting any more lives at risk. The jury found Martinez used a deadly weapon during the crime, so he will have to serve at least half his sentence before being eligible for parole.
Thank you to Adult Probation Officer Brittnay Ibarra for preparing a thorough pre-sentence investigation report for the court, our former ADA Bradlee Thornton and Atascosa 1st chair ADA Ryan Wright for presenting the case, as well as Erika Price, for her presentation of the punishment evidence to the court.
