Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has issued a response after a Texas state senator was arrested in Travis County.
“Early yesterday morning I was informed by my staff of the DWI arrest of Sen. Charles Schwertner,” Patrick explained in a press release provided to The Dallas Express. “This is the second time in two sessions a member of the legislature has been arrested for DWI.”
“There is zero excuse for driving under the influence and putting lives in danger, in particular by a member of the legislature whose conduct should be held to a higher standard,” the lieutenant governor continued.
“I will await the final outcome of this issue in court before making any further statement on the matter,” Patrick conclude.
The Austin Police Department arrested Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) early Tuesday morning for allegedly driving while intoxicated, according to arrest records obtained by The Dallas Express. Schwertner was booked into the Travis County Jail at 2:12 a.m., according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
A DWI is a class B misdemeanor offense in Texas. The senator’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Dallas Express.
Schwertner chairs the business and commerce committee and was scheduled to be in a 9 a.m. meeting Tuesday morning, according to the committee schedule.
A spokesperson from the Austin Police Department explained to The Dallas Express that officers were conducting a routine traffic stop.
“On February 7, 2023, APD officers conducted a traffic stop at approximately 12:46 a.m. at the intersection of Avenue B and W 45th St. During this interaction, officers arrested Charles Schwertner. He is charged with Driving While Intoxicated and has been booked into the Travis County Jail,” a spokesperson for the department said.
The Dallas Express contacted the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and confirmed the release of Schwertner’s booking information.
Travis County spokesperson Kristen Dark confirmed to The Dallas Express that Sen. Schwertner is still in the custody of the sheriff’s office.
According to his official biography, Schwertner is a “practicing orthopedic surgeon” and “a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.”
“After medical school, Schwertner and his family relocated to Williamson County to start a successful orthopedic medical practice near the small, central Texas town of Schwertner, that bears his family name,” the biography continues.
Schwertner was elected to the Texas House in 2011, then to the Senate in 2013. Currently, he serves as the chairman of the Business and Commerce Committee and sits on the Finance and State Affairs committees.