A man accused of running a stop sign in Cypress and slamming into a golf cart, killing three men, made his first appearance in court overnight.
Daniel Rivera, 21, is charged with three counts of first degree murder. He allegedly had a blood alcohol content well over the legal limit at the time of the crash.
A judge set his bond at $600,000 total — $200,000 for each of the three murder charges.
The crash happened at 2:46 a.m. Sunday in the 11100 block of Greenhouse Road, approaching the intersection of Towne Lake Parkway. Court records say the intersection has four stop signs.
Harris County sheriff’s deputies said Rivera failed to stop and slammed into the battery-powered golf cart after it passed through the intersection.
The victims were identified as 41-year-old Christopher Scandridge, 37-year-old Jacob Wnuk, and 37-year-old Fraser Anderson.
Rivera’s blood alcohol content was 0.136%, according to court records, which is far above the legal limit of 0.08%.
“The defendant ran a stop sign, struck the golf cart. Two complainants were found deceased on scene due to injuries sustained in the crash. Complainant number three was transported to the hospital with a brain bleed, no pupillary responses, and later confirmed deceased as a result of injuries sustained during the crash,” prosecutors read in court.
Rivera reportedly had two passengers in his Cadillac Escalade when he ran the stop sign — a woman and an 8-year-old girl. They were not injured.
If he makes bond, Rivera will be under house arrest and must wear a SCRAM device that monitors blood alcohol content while the case moves forward in court.
Texas state law allows golf carts with a license plate to be operated on roads in a master-planned community with a uniform set of restrictive covenants and a county or municipality-approved plat. HCSO officials said the neighborhood falls under those criteria, but golf carts are only permitted to be operated during the daytime.
