Store Clerk Sold Alcohol To Teen Driver In Fatal Crash: Police

ATASCOCITA, TX – A convenience store clerk who police say sold alcohol to a 17-year-old boy involved in a double-fatal accident in July was arrested on Sunday. Gumaro Munoz "Romeo" Campos, 29, was arrested at the unidentified convenience store along FM 1960 East in Atascocita.

Campos was charged with selling alcohol to a minor, a class A misdemeanor. He faces up to a year in jail and or $4,000 fine if convicted. Police said they have evidence that Campos sold alcohol to 17-year-old Jaggar Smith, who later admitted to police to drinking an entire bottle of MD 20/20 before he caused a fatal DWI crash on July 25.

The horrific crash killed two of Smith's friends, Salama Gomez and Chloe Robison, both 16-year-old Atascocita High School students. Smith was going twice the legal speed limit when he lost control, hit several trees and ripped his car in half, killing the two girls inside.

Smith, who was slightly injured in the crash, was arrested and charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter. Smith spent the night in the Harris County Jail and was released on a $60,000 bond.

A similar DWI crash happened in February that claimed the life of a 36-year-old Shayla Joseph and her infant son when 20-year-old Veronica Rivas smashed her SUV into the back of Joseph’s car.

The fatal crash led to a crackdown by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office against servers at bars who fail to check identification of bar patrons or knowingly ignore the law.

As part of that crackdown, Harris County DA Kim Ogg sought charges against serves at two Clear Lake area bars that served Rivas and a 17-year-old friend and arrested three people.

The charges, in that case, ranged from criminal negligence, failing to check IDs, knowingly purchasing and providing alcohol to a minor and lying to a grand jury, officials said.

At a press conference Monday, investigators with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said they'd become aware through their investigation that the Humble Handi Stop was a place frequented by teenagers who wanted to buy alcohol without fear of having their ID checked.

"This marks the latest in our task force effort to go to the source of these terrible crashes," said Sean Teare the Harris County DA's Vehicular Crimes Chief. "TABC interviewed a number of friends of the defendant...and at the end of that, we were able to identify the specific clerk who not only sold to [Jaggar Smith] but every single one of these kids we talked to. This was the place where Atascocita and Kingwood High School children obtained alcohol."

Lt. Oliver Johnson, an investigator with the TABC, said while Campos will face the criminal charges, an administrative case is being filed against the business for selling alcohol to a minor.

"Humble Handi Stop has one prior violation for selling alcohol to a minor in July 2012," Johnson said.

The business received an eight-day suspension of its alcohol license for the first violation in 2012, and conducted five separate stings afterward with no violations, Johnson said.

Businesses who sell alcohol to minors are subjected to civil fines, temporary suspension of alcohol licenses, or in the most severe cases, businesses can permanently lose their TABC license and will be prohibited from selling alcohol.

RELATED STORIES:

• Teen Admits To Drinking MD 20/20 Before Crash: Prosecutors
  
• Bartender Charged In DWI Fatality Surrenders

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Image: Shutterstock

Send your news tips and story ideas to bryan.kirk@patch.com