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Dallas, TX – The driver accused of drunkenly slamming his vehicle into a Dallas police officer who was blocking traffic for a fellow officer’s funeral procession on Saturday has been returned to jail after being released on insufficient bond.
Dallas Police Senior Corporal Earl “Jamie” Givens, 55, was one of the Dallas Motorcycle Unit members who were escorting the body of Dallas Senior Corporal Tyrone Andrew from a Dallas funeral home to another location in East Texas at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Saturday.
During the funeral escort, Cpl. Givens “positioned himself to block oncoming traffic to the eastbound entrance ramp,” at which point 25-year-old Adrian Breedlove crashed his Kia Sportage into the corporal “at a high rate of speed,” Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall said during a Saturday press conference.
Breedlove was charged with intoxication manslaughter casing the death of a peace officer and unlawfully carrying a weapon, after police located a gun inside his vehicle, WFAA reported.
He was released on $76,000 bond just after 2 a.m. on Sunday – less than 24 hours after the fatal collision, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Breedlove had to come up with just $7,600 to walk out of jail.
“I was stunned,” Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said during an interview with WFAA on Monday. “The message that it sends [to] the rank-and-file and every officer…that’s what your life is worth. That’s what your life as an officer is worth here in Dallas County – $7,600 and 24 hours in jail.”
“This isn’t a vehicle accident…This was an intentional act,” Mata railed. “Mr. Breedlove knew he was drinking, he knew he was intoxicated. He intentionally and knowingly got behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, which caused the death of this officer.”
“That’s what officers want. They just want a little accountability to show that our worth is more than $7,600 and 24 hours in jail,” Mata continued.
During a bond hearing on Monday, District Judge Jeanine Howard granted the prosecution’s request to return Breedlove to custody due to insufficient bond, WFAA reported.
In their motion, prosecutors asked the court to increase Breedlove’s bond to $100,000. Howard said she will rule on that motion on Tuesday.
According to court documents, Breedlove crashed into a cement divider after he fatally struck Cpl. Givens, WFAA reported.
Police say he had a blood-alcohol content of .19 at the time of the collision.
Breedlove allegedly told investigators he had consumed two margaritas and seven beers prior to running into the corporal with his SUV.
He said he “doesn’t feel while driving that he was drunk,” but said he did “feel the effects of the alcohol he drank a little bit,” police said in the affidavit, according to WFAA.
Cpl. Givens, a father of two, was just months away from retirement, Mata told KXAS.