Hit and Run Driver Who Ran Across Houston Harte with Son Charged with DWI and More

At approximately 9 p.m. last night, San Angelo LIVE! reported on a two-vehicle crash that occurred in the 4300 block of the W. Houston Harte Expressway. Right after the crash, the woman, whom police have identified as Leslie Zapata, 25, grabbed her small son and dashed across the Expressway, towards the Olive Garden Restaurant.

In an update, San Angelo Police Officer Tracy Gonzalez, with the Public Information & Social Media Office, said when responding officers arrived on the scene, they located Zapata and her 4-year-old son (previously determined to be 5 years of age), hiding in a culvert across from Cavender’s Western Outfitter.

“During the investigation, officers smelled the odor of alcohol coming from Zapata and suspected she was driving while intoxicated,” Gonzalez stated. “Zapata was also found to have three outstanding warrants.”

Officers determined the 4-year-old boy did not sustain any injuries during the crash, or when Zapata ran across the Expressway. Originally, Zapata exited the frontage road ramp at a high rate of speed and collided with a 2006 Saturn SUV. The collision caused Zapata to lose control of her 2003 Hyundai Elantra, and she came to rest in a nearby ditch.

The 28-year-old San Angelo driver of the 2006 Saturn SUV, a 32-year-old female passenger, and their two small children under the age of three were not injured in the crash. The passenger, who contacted San Angelo LIVE! and wished not to be named, said her family was fine, but they were shaken up by the events that took place.

Gonzalez stated that SAPD officers ended up obtaining a child safety seat from the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office so they could transport the child to a family member’s home after the incident. Zapata was arrested for the outstanding warrants and Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger Under 15 Years of Age. She was transported to Tom Green County Jail where she submitted a breath specimen.

Zapata also received citations for Fail to Control Speed and transported a child passenger without a child passenger safety seat system.