EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A Socorro man who was arrested and charged in a fatal crash over the weekend in the Lower Valley had been at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center for nearly 12 hours before the crash happened and had consumed multiple alcoholic drinks, according to court documents obtained by NewsNation affiliate KTSM.
Ramon Jaime Parada, 36, was arrested and is facing a charge of intoxication manslaughter after his passenger, Rey Leonardo Mendez, 25, died from the crash.
The crash happened just before 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 9 when Parada was allegedly speeding south on Zaragoza and drove head-on into a metal pole near the intersection of Zaragoza and Americas.
According to court documents, Parada told police that he had been at Speaking Rock since 1:30 a.m. that Sunday with “his friends” and had not left until just before the crash. That was a span of nearly 12 hours.
The first officer at the scene said that Parada was “very unbalanced and also swayed side to side as he stood,” according to court documents.
Parada told the officer at the scene that he had consumed multiple shots of tequila and multiple beers, according to court documents.
The suspect was then taken to a local hospital for injuries sustained in the crash and after he was released, he was transported to police headquarters where he waived his Miranda rights.
At this time, Parada told police that he had drank “five to six beers, three Crown and Cokes and two shots” while at Speaking Rock, according to court documents.
Before the crash, Parada had fled from a fully marked tribal police vehicle, according to court documents.
Tribal police told investigators with El Paso Police that Parada, his passenger and vehicle were flagged because they matched descriptions given from Speaking Rock staff about a disturbance that happened inside the entertainment center.
According to court records, Parada was previously arrested for DWI in 2018 and 2020. He was convicted in 2018.
Parada was booked into the El Paso County Detention Center on a $110,000 bond.
