WILLIAMSON COUNTY: Michael & Associates secured a not guilty verdict in a 2021 DWI case against Adrian Thomas in a tragic 2021 accident in Northwest Austin that resulted in the death of a pedestrian.
Jurors in Williamson County deliberated for less than two hours on Tuesday before determining that Thomas was not at fault in the incident.
On May 22, 2021, Thomas was driving down the 7300 block of McNeil Drive around 8:40 p.m. when a pedestrian jumped in front of his vehicle. Thomas could not stop his car in time and struck the pedestrian, a 66-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police determined that Thomas, who was 40 when the accident occurred, was exhibiting signs of agitation and performed field sobriety tests, which Thomas allegedly failed. Thomas told police that he had not been drinking and that he was not at fault for the accident. However, he was visibly shaken by the incident, and police interpreted his distress as a sign of intoxication.
He was arrested, and though results of both breath and blood testing confirmed that there was no alcohol in Thomas’ system, the blood test picked up trace amounts of chemical substances. However, the test could not definitively determine whether the substances in Thomas’ system were legal.
Thomas has maintained his innocence over the past three years, and Ben Michael, founding partner of Michael & Associates, asserted that he should never have been arrested in the first place.
“Charging our client was a miscarriage of justice and the State prosecuted our client in bad faith from start to finish because they felt pressure to find someone guilty of something due to the unfortunate accidental death of the pedestrian,” Michael said. “So they came after our client even though the State admitted they knew Mr. Thomas wasn’t at fault. Not on our watch.”
Throughout the trial, Michael & Associates senior trial attorneys Andromeda Vega Rubio and James Fletcher presented compelling evidence to establish that Thomas was not impaired at the time of the accident, which occurred due to events beyond Mr. Thomas’ control. Any signs of agitation at the scene were due to the traumatic nature of the incident.
Jurors agreed and returned with a verdict of not guilty on November 19.
###
Michael & Associates is an Austin-based criminal defense law firm specializing in DWI defense.
Rebecca Stumpf manages content research and editing for Michael & Associates. She is an award-winning journalist with 30+ years of experience working for daily newspapers. Her work has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Business Insider and DallasNews.com.
Rebecca Stumpf manages content research and editing for Michael & Associates. She is an award-winning journalist with 30+ years of experience working for daily newspapers. Her work has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Business Insider and DallasNews.com.