Not a good morning so far: Darkness, accentuated by an overcast sky of an approaching wind storm and the Breaking News headline that Robert Francis O’Rourke (aka Beto) has announced a run for the presidency.  Robert Francis, whose toothy smile and haircut recall another Robert Francis (Kennedy) and for some reason has adopted a Hispanic nickname of Beto, gained attention when he ran for the office of U.S. Senator from Texas.

Being somewhat exposed to what was going on in Texas, I became the tiniest bit familiar with his name, but not really informed. So I decided to Google him and one of the first things to come up was from the Houston Chronicle DUI and attempting to leave scene of accident. The fact that, as the article pointed out, he is the son of a then El Paso County Judge, might have been a significant factor in his case. Or maybe not. (I cough.)

Just in case the link does not work, here are some key paragraphs from the article written by Kevin Diaz; the actual article also includes images of the police reports.

Although the arrest has been public knowledge, police reports of the September 1998 incident – when the Democratic Senate candidate had just turned 26 – show that it was a more serious threat to public safety than has previously been reported.

State and local police reports obtained by the Chronicle and Express-News show that O’Rourke was driving drunk at what a witness called “a high rate of speed” in a 75 mph zone on Interstate 10 about a mile from the New Mexico border. He lost control and hit a truck, sending his car careening across the center median into oncoming lanes. The witness, who stopped at the scene, later told police that O’Rourke had tried to drive away from the scene.

Anthony Police Department reports on the incident were based on a motorist’s description of O’Rourke’s dark-colored Volvo passing him quickly about 3 a.m. on I-10. The reports differ as to whether O’Rourke was heading east or west on the interstate, but both agree that he struck a truck going in the same direction and crossed a grassy median into the opposite lanes.

Police said O’Rourke then attempted to leave the scene but was stopped by the same motorist he had just passed. The unidentified motorist “then turned on his overhead lights to warn oncoming traffic and to try to get the defendant (O’Rourke) to stop,” one report says.

Another report described O’Rourke as having “glossy” eyes, slurred speech, smelling of liquor, and almost falling to the ground as he got out of his car.

The accident occurred just as O’Rourke, the son of an El Paso County Judge, had celebrated his 26th birthday the night before. He told police he’d had two beers and had been on cold medication. He later told the El Paso Times that he was driving an intoxicated friend home, though no passenger is mentioned in the police reports.