Drunken carny operated Crazy Plane ride during Fiesta, police say

SAN ANTONIO – A Fiesta carnival worker is facing a charge of operating an amusement ride while intoxicated after he failed a standard test for intoxicants during the carnival, authorities said.

A report released to the KSAT Defenders states that Mario Perez Delacruz first came to the attention of authorities April 22, when a mother told police he was "catcalling" her and blowing kisses in her direction as she and her children roamed the Cherry Street carnival grounds.

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Officers went to the Crazy Plane ride, which Delacruz was operating, and asked him to come down from the amusement ride's operating booth, the report states. It goes on to note that while Delacruz was initially hesitant to comply with officers' requests, he came down and talked with police, who noticed he smelled of alcohol and had watery, bloodshot eyes. 

Delacruz, of Vera Cruz, Mexico, told officers he had nothing alcoholic to drink that day and that his last drink was a half-liter of Budweiser's Michelada around 9 p.m. the night before. Authorities performed a horizontal gaze nystagmus test on Delacruz, and he displayed all six clues of intoxication, failing to keep his balance when officers instructed him to walk in a straight line, the report states.

The report states that Delacruz had trouble following simple instructions and had to hold his head still using his hands.

According to the report, he was taken into custody and voluntarily submitted to a breath test for intoxicants.

Online records show he was released on $500 bail April 24.


About the Authors:

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.