A Kyle man faces a charge of intoxication manslaughter after he crashed his vehicle into a tree Sunday while allegedly driving drunk, leading to the death of a passenger.
Cade Alvarez Brown, 22, of Kyle, was booked into the Hays County Jail Nov. 25 on intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony.
According to an arrest affidavit, Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers were dispatched at approximately 2:30 a.m. Nov. 25 for a single vehicle versus tree crash that occurred on Dove Drive and Treetop Way in the Coves of Cimmaron subdivision near Buda.
When authorities arrived on scene, they found a gray 2009 Toyota Corolla that appeared to have been driven off of the roadway, struck a tree and was engulfed in flames.
The driver, later identified as Brown, told authorities he was traveling at approximately 75 to 80 miles per hour around a curve when he traveled off of the roadway and struck the tree, according to the affidavit. The speed limit on Dove Drive is 35 miles per hour.
The lone passenger, later identified as Kaleb Nielson, 21, of Buda, was sitting in the right front passenger seat at the time of the wreck and was ejected from the vehicle, according to a DPS spokesperson. Nielson was pronounced dead at 3:30 a.m. Nov. 25 by Hays County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Beth Smith.
Brown, who suffered bruising in the accident, allegedly told authorities he had consumed approximately eight to nine beers over the course of several hours prior to the wreck. According to the affidavit, Brown began drinking in the afternoon hours of Nov. 24, stopped drinking for short period, then continued until 1:30 a.m. Nov. 25. That includes allegedly drinking more than 60 ounces of beer combined at two Buda area bars during that period, according to the affidavit.
DPS officials, who said they noticed a “strong odor” of metabolized alcohol and beer coming from Brown’s breath and body, determined he was intoxicated after conducting a field sobriety test. Brown was transported to Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos for medical clearance and a blood draw. Brown was then transported to the Hays County Jail, all without incident.
Brown was released from the Hays County Jail Nov. 26 on $50,000 bond.
