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Sep 3, 2008 7:18 pm US/Central
New Information On Deadly Drunk Driving Suspect
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
CBS 11 News has uncovered more court documentation concerning the man accused of driving drunk and killing a newlywed North Texas couple.
A private rosary will be held Wednesday night in memory of Erika and German Clouet. The couple was killed in a car crash Sunday night.
Court documents show that the criminal record of the man charged with murder in the couple's death, Uriel Palacios, is troubling.
Not only did Palacios have five previous DWIs, but records show that police have also arrested him on drug and weapons charges.
The rosary for the Irving couple is tonight the funeral will be held Thursday.
"You couldn't have found victim's that were anymore innocent. They were just doing, out going to the movies, doing what they were supposed to be doing," Dallas County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mark Howard explained. "And because of his [Palacios] violent, deliberate, lawless attitude they're now dead."
After multiple DWIs Palacios was ordered to use a breathalyzer system called Interlock. The device was installed in his vehicle to verify whether or not he was intoxicated when getting into his car.
Court records show that since January Palacios committed at least four violations. The report states, "This indicates alcohol was present, on the user's breath, while the vehicle was running."
"But that doesn't keep them from starting your vehicle. That doesn't keep someone else from breathing in that device and starting that vehicle," Howard said.
Bond for Palacios was increased to $100,555 after he failed the Interlock test, but police in Garland were not aware of his multiple DWI convictions when they arrested him in late July.
Court records also state that Palacios has also been arrested for possession of marijuana and cocaine. He also, at one time, faced weapons charges.
Howard admits, "He should have been in jail, unfortunately he wasn't. And that's the systems fault."
Officials with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office say they have thousands of arrest warrants to run and that they are run all day. In the case of Palacios they say that there was at least one attempt to arrest him.
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