After car crash, La Villa school board trustee charged with DWI

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A member of the La Villa school board crashed her car Thursday after drinking alcohol, according to a criminal complaint signed by a state trooper.

The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Yesenia Morales, 36 of La Villa on Thursday morning.

Morales couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Friday.

At 4:20 a.m. on Thursday, the Department of Public Safety dispatched a trooper to a car crash near the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 491 and Mile 11 North in rural Hidalgo County.

When he arrived, the trooper discovered a white Chevrolet Tahoe had “exited the roadway and struck two fences,” according to the criminal complaint.

The trooper questioned Morales, who blamed loose gravel for the crash.

“I asked Morales if she had drunk alcohol recently and she said she had several drinks earlier,” according to the criminal complaint, which summarized what Morales told the trooper.

Morales performed poorly on a standard field sobriety test, according to the criminal complaint, and refused to provide a breath sample.

Yesenia Morales (Photo courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office)

The trooper requested a warrant and transported Morales to an emergency room, where employees took a blood sample.

Morales is charged with driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor.

Thursday wasn’t the first time Morales had trouble with alcohol.

In May 2024, when the La Villa school district sent Morales to South Padre Island for a conference, a fight broke out at the hotel bar.

Officers charged Morales with public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor.

Morales pleaded no contest and the charge was dismissed after she paid a $170 “state and administrative fee,” according to documents released by the South Padre Island Municipal Court.

On Friday morning, after word spead about her most recent arrest, the La Villa school board posted a meeting agenda for Monday afternoon.

It lists just one action item: “Discussion and action to adopt resolution censuring board member YM.”