SAN ANTONIO \u2013 This is a developing story. Check back for updates.<\/p>\n
A North Side councilwoman accused of driving while intoxicated less than two months into her term has agreed to a plea deal for probation on a lower, non-DWI charge. <\/p>\n
Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (District 8) had been accused of driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.15 \u2014 nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. The Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.<\/p>\n
However, at a Tuesday hearing, she pleaded \u201cno contest\u201d to obstruction of a highway, a non-DWI Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.<\/p>\n
In exchange for her plea, Meza Gonzalez received nine months of deferred adjudication, a type of probation that will allow her to avoid a conviction on her record if she completes it successfully.<\/p>\n
Other conditions included a $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service. She has already completed DWI education and a victim impact panel.<\/p>\n
Meza Gonzalez spoke briefly to reporters after the hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you all for being here. This has been a difficult chapter, but I am committed to learning from this. I am glad that this case has been resolved, and I am going to remain focused on work and family. Thank you so much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Meza Gonzalez and her attorney, David Christian, refused to answer further questions, including whether she had been drinking or if she thought the downgraded charge was fair considering how much over the limit she had been accused of being.<\/p>\n
The prosecution in Meza Gonzalez\u2019s case was handled by an Atascosa County assistant county attorney, Jonathan Fischer, after Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales recused himself<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fischer left the courtroom before KSAT was able to ask him for comment after the hearing. A voicemail at his office was not immediately returned.<\/p>\n KSAT has also emailed the Bexar County District Attorney\u2019s office asking for comment. <\/p>\n More about Meza Gonzalez\u2018s case<\/p>\n Meza Gonzalez, who was elected to her seat in the June 7 runoff, was pulled over around 11 p.m. July 24<\/a> on Interstate 10 after leaving a downtown club, according to her arrest warrant. <\/p>\n An officer initiated a traffic stop on her vehicle after she was seen driving at a slower speed than others and failed to remain in a single lane along I-10 near Hildebrand Avenue.<\/p>\n Meza Gonzalez told the officer she just left the Centre Club, a downtown establishment located in the 100 block of East Pecan Street.<\/p>\n In a video of her arrest released by San Antonio Police Department, which is nearly 19 minutes long, Gonzalez denied that she had been drinking at least eight times.<\/p>\n During a sobriety test, the warrant said Meza Gonzalez had \u201cwatery, glossy eyes\u201d and had a \u201cmoderate odor of intoxicants.\u201d San Antonio Police Department-issued documents said she also slurred words.<\/p>\n After Meza Gonzalez was placed into custody, the warrant said the officer requested a sample of her breath or blood, and she refused.<\/p>\n Court records indicate Meza Gonzalez was booked on July 25 into the Bexar County jail on a DWI charge. She was later released on a $1,000 bond.<\/p>\n Her case was refiled in September as driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of at least .15, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.<\/p>\n Police got a warrant for a blood draw, but the results have not been publicly released. The Texas Attorney General\u2019s Office agreed the Texas Department of Public Safety did not have to release them in response to a KSAT records request.<\/p>\n Meza Gonzalez was censured<\/a> by her fellow city council members in September.<\/p>\n Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones suspended Meza Gonzalez<\/a> from her committee assignments in August but reinstated her on Jan. 12<\/a>. <\/p>\n Meza Gonzalez also avoided having her license suspended<\/a>.<\/p>\n