‘This is not Harris County:’ Galveston County judge revokes bond of man involved in deadly crash

GALVESTON, Texas (KIAH) — A Galveston County judge revoked the bond of a man accused of killing four people riding in a golf cart while driving intoxicated last August.

Judge Kerry Neves also took a shot at neighboring Harris County while revoking the bond of Miguel Espinoza, who is charged with four counts of intoxicated manslaughter and one count of intoxicated assault, the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office said.

“This is not Harris County,” Neves said when he revoked the bond. “We take things seriously.”

Espinoza, 45, from Rosenberg, is accused of driving an SUV while intoxicated, running a red light at high speed and hitting a pickup truck, forcing the truck to hit a golf cart that was carrying six family members near the Galveston Island Seawall last August.

Four people – Felipe Bentancur, his 4-year-old grandson, his 13-year-old granddaughter, and his niece, Destiny Uvalle – all died within hours of the crash. Two more family members, Felipe’s wife and another grandson, survived with serious injuries.

Espinoza was out on a $400,000 bond, but prosecutors told the court that Espinoza had been arrested on Feb. 17 in Rosenberg for driving while his license was invalid and without a breathalyzer installed his vehicle, which were a part of his bond conditions. Prosecutors also said he has made a habit of disregarding the court’s orders.

Neves ordered Espinoza into custody and now is in the Galveston County Jail.