CIBOLO, Texas – A Cibolo firefighter accused of fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash while intoxicated drove a department fire truck in the city’s holiday parade less than a year later, footage and social media posts gathered by KSAT Investigates show.
Fire Apparatus Operator Toni Cheezum, 56, faces a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated in connection with a Dec. 18, 2024, wreck at the intersection of Lookout Road and Retama Parkway in Selma.
Cheezum’s Jeep Gladiator pulled in front of a Subaru around 6 p.m. and caused serious damage to the other vehicle. Witnesses and the crash victim said Cheezum then drove away, a Selma police incident report states.
She was pulled over minutes later just blocks from her home in Selma, police body-worn camera footage shows.
Hours of footage of Cheezum’s arrest, obtained by KSAT through a public records request, show Cheezum admitting to drinking more alcohol than she should have.
She was at times apologetic but also verbally combative with Selma police while repeatedly telling officers that they were ruining her career, the footage reveals.
“Y’all are fixin’ to ruin my whole career,” said Cheezum, before telling officers that an issue with her ankle would prevent her from passing a standard field sobriety test.
At first, Cheezum consented to providing a blood sample before ultimately declining, which required officers to obtain a blood draw warrant.
The warrant states Cheezum was emitting a strong odor of alcohol, had glossy eyes, slurred speech and was unsteady as she walked.
“When she came out, she was kind of unsteady on her feet. I know she pissed herself, too. Smelled a little alcohol, so,” a Selma police corporal said in the arrest footage.
“Yeah, I got the odor. The eyes,” a second officer responded.
Cheezum was handcuffed and, after being searched by a female Universal City police officer, was taken to be booked.
“If we’re held to a higher standard, then they should be, too,” a Selma officer is heard saying in the footage. “I could smell it from here.”
After being placed in a holding cell, Cheezum can be heard yelling at an officer from inside the room.
“Hey, we’re on the same team,” Cheezum said. “I just want to make sure it’s equal.”
Victim declined to pursue second misdemeanor charge against Cheezum
The man whose vehicle was struck by Cheezum’s Jeep told police in the footage that he followed Cheezum after the crash while attempting to call 911.
“Oh, doggone,” the victim said as an officer shone a flashlight on the heavily damaged driver’s side of his vehicle.
A second vehicle containing people who witnessed the wreck also followed Cheezum and remained at the scene after officers pulled over Cheezum, the footage shows.
The crash victim declined to pursue a second misdemeanor charge against Cheezum for failure to stop and provide information and is seen in the footage signing a non-prosecution waiver.
Reached via telephone, the man told KSAT he thought Cheezum would be in enough trouble with the driving while intoxicated (DWI) charge.
He was surprised to learn that Cheezum drives fire trucks for a living.
“I’m not sure she’s the best person to be driving a fire truck,” the man told KSAT late last month.
Cheezum kept job, was suspended for five shifts
Even though Cheezum predicted in the arrest footage that the drunk driving crash would end her long career in public service, Cibolo discipline records instead show she was suspended without pay for five shifts, which is equivalent to 120 hours of work.
In the January 2025 suspension paperwork, Cibolo Fire Department Chief Mario Troncoso wrote that Cheezum’s ability to perform her duties as a fire apparatus operator were now in question.
Cibolo officials refused to make Troncoso available for an interview for this story.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) administrative records indicate Cheezum’s driver’s license was suspended last March.
She was granted an occupational driver’s license in April, according to Bexar County court records. The license allowed her to drive to and from work but not for work.
KSAT found no publicly available records related to Cheezum’s full driving privileges being reinstated.
Cheezum and her attorney did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment for this story.
Multiple Cibolo residents contacted KSAT late last year, after seeing Cheezum driving a Cibolo fire truck in the city’s annual Holidays on Main parade on Dec. 6.
“Fire Apparatus Operator Toni Cheezum maintained an active, valid driver’s license at the time of the holiday parade on December 6,” a Cibolo spokesperson told KSAT in a written statement. “The City has no further comment.”
The spokesperson did not respond to follow-up questions from KSAT asking when Cheezum returned to driving fire trucks for the department.
Cheezum is scheduled for a pretrial conference in her DWI case on Feb. 24 in County Court at Law 5, records show.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.