Former cop accused of intox manslaughter pleads guilty to gun charge

Michael Gallegos-Martinez

A 44-year-old former police officer accused of driving drunk and killing a woman in 2022 has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge.

Michael Gallegos-Martinez was convicted on Tuesday of unlawfully being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He was indicted by a Hidalgo County grand jury on Aug. 22, 2023 of intoxication manslaughter over allegations he drove drunk on April 16, 2022 and hit and killed Roseanna Martinez with his pickup truck in a fatal auto-pedestrian crash that happened at 1:28 a.m. at 700 E. Carroll Road in San Juan.

Gallegos-Martinez, however, has yet to be arraigned on the indictment because he has been in federal custody on the gun charge since Oct. 11, 2023, court records show.

He was initially arrested on June 25, 2023 by Alamo police who pulled him over in his Cadillac CTS after he failed to come to a complete stop, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and jail records.

“Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, at which time they noticed Gallegos-Martinez appeared nervous,” the release stated. “He claimed there were no firearms or narcotics within the vehicle.”

A K-9, however, alerted to his vehicle and a search revealed a Rossi, Model 461, .357 magnum revolver in a grocery bag hanging from the vehicle’s gear shift, according to the release.

“They also discovered 25 grams of cocaine, a bottle of Xanax pills and approximately $25,000 in cash,” the release stated.

The release does not disclose what law enforcement agency he worked for, but said he “previously served as a police officer before being convicted of a felony for possession of a controlled substance.”

In addition to the gun charge and intoxication manslaughter charge, he has a slew of drug arrests and is also facing a money laundering charge in state court.

Gallegos-Martinez has been held without bond on the federal charge and will remain in custody until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 2 where he faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000, according to the release.

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