A former Houston Police Department officer charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with a fatal wreck in Ft. Bend County last year has been found dead.
James Combs was charged in the August 2016 accident that killed Brian Manring.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said Combs was found dead of an apparent suicide. A warrant was out for his arrest after he had missed a court date. Combs was discovered at his home.
Combs worked for the Houston Police Department for six years, but was off duty at the time of the crash. He refused a field sobriety test following the accident. A judge issued a warrant, forcing him to submit to a blood alcohol test.
According to court documents, Combs’ blood alcohol content was .17 — more than twice the legal limit of .08. Combs’ wife also told investigators he used their credit card at an after-hours strip club just before the deadly wreck.
Combs was ordered to wear an ankle monitor as a bond condition. If he had been tried and convicted, he could have faced up to 20 years in prison.
