TEXAS CITY, Texas (AP) — A Texas City commissioner has been indicted on manslaughter charges just days before an election determines whether she keeps her seat.
A Galveston County grand jury indicted 54-year-old Dee Ann Haney Thursday. Haney’s attorneys declined to comment on the decision.
Authorities arrested the commissioner in July, saying her vehicle veered to the shoulder of a road and fatally struck a man and his son.
The Daily News reports Haney was initially charged with intoxication manslaughter. An affidavit says Haney told police she’d been smoking marijuana, but toxicology results came back negative for the drug.
District Attorney Jack Roady alleges Haney was driving at unsafe speeds after consuming a muscle relaxer, a sleep aid or a decongestant. Officials are awaiting lab results.
Haney faces up to 20 years in prison for the charges. The election is Saturday.