District clerk arrested for alleged drunken driving

EDINBURG – Hidalgo County District Clerk Laura Hinojosa disputed allegations Sunday that she was driving while intoxicated when pulled over by a state trooper earlier that morning.

Authorities arrested the 43-year-old elected official after she failed multiple field sobriety checks during a traffic stop just after 1 a.m. near the intersection of North “I” and El Dora roads in San Juan, said Texas Department of Public Safety Spokesman Johnny Hernandez.

As of late Sunday afternoon, Hinojosa had been booked and released from the Hidalgo County jail, where she refused to take a Breathalyzer test.

“I honestly did not think I was not fit to drive or else I wouldn’t have,” she said, adding that she plans to fight the charge in court.

Hinojosa, the daughter of U.S. Rep Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, was first elected in 2006 to the position that oversees filings for all of the county’s state district and county courts-at-law.

She replaced former District Clerk Omar Guerrero, who faced a DWI arrest of his own in 2005. Those charges were later dropped after an Hidalgo County jury cleared him of unrelated charges stemming from a consensual sexual relationship he was accused of having with a minor.

Hinojosa launched her campaign for a second term in office earlier this month.

Driving while intoxicated is a Class B misdemeanor for a first-time offender. If convicted, she could face up to six months in the county jail and $2,000 in fines.

“It’s really just an awful situation,” Hinojosa said. “I humbly ask for the respect of my family’s privacy. I appreciate everybody’s support.”