Many Houstonians will recall when news broke of one of Mayor Bill White’s three daughters, seventeen year old Elena, having been arrested for driving while intoxicated. Her date of arrest was July 31st, and now half a year later she is facing trial.

Elena White was pulled over in the 9800 block of Memorial, approximately a mile away from her home, for not having the headlights of the vehicle she was driving turned on. Elena reportedly refused a breathalyzer test preceding her arrest, and was taken into county jail where she remained for several hours before her parents posted the set bond.

As one would expect, Mayor White has stood behind his daughter through the matter and has referred to the arrest/incident as a misunderstanding. Perhaps it was, and perhaps it was not. Hopefully a trial will clear up any confusion surrounding this DWI charge and its possible sentence.

I am not one to call out Elena for what she has been charged with, however this does stir some emotions and thoughts within me - strong ones. Drunk driving is a horrific offense and the painful deaths that are caused by it year in and year out are constant reminders of how one MUST take on a responsible role when drinking and not get behind the wheel of a vehicle once the legal limit has been reached or exceeded.

Intoxicated operation of a vehicle is the equivalent of loading a gun, putting on a blindfold and pulling the trigger. There’s quite simply NO ifs ands or buts about putting other innocent people’s lives in serious danger; drinking and driving is illegal for many reasons and I would hope that more folks begin to take this issue as critically as I do.

I’ll keep you all updated on the outcome of the aforementioned DWI trial.