HOUSTON – A suspected drunken driver accused in the death of a 20-year-old woman has been issued a bond forfeiture after skipping a court appearance this week, leaving the victim’s family distraught in their fight for justice.
“It’s awful. It’s awful,” stressed Imani Rose, sister of 20-year-old Iyana Harris.
Prosecutors charged Rogelio Garcia, 35, with intoxication manslaughter back in Oct. 21. Garcia is accused of failing to stop for a traffic light at the intersection of FM 1960 and N. Eldridge before crashing into the car in which Harris was a passenger.
Garcia was arrested on the scene and posted a $20,000 bond days later. Since then, little has been seen of Garcia, who failed to appear in court for a hearing on March 28.
“It’s absolutely inexcusable. My sister was a real person,” Imani said. “She was real to us. She was real in our lives. She was real in her community.”
Also real – the fact that the man charged with killing her is nowhere to be found and wanted for re-arrest.
“It’s not enough to assign someone an ankle monitor and assign them someone that’s supposed to check on him,” Imani said. “We need to passionately and vigorously make sure that these offenders are indeed wearing their monitors 24/7 of every day/
Garcia’s Bond Violation report alleges he stopped checking in with Harris County pretrial services on February 28. There had been no contact with him since then, despite him being on bond.
“How is this young man able to disappear?” Imani asked, a question her family has been forced to consider as they demand justice.
Judge Brian Warren issued a judgment of bond forfeiture on March 28, after Garcia failed to make his appearance in the 209th District Court.
The judgment places Garcia’s bonding agent on the hook for the $20,000 the court had granted him.
Wisam Muharib is listed as Garcia’s bondsman, according to court documents.
KPRC 2 contacted Muharib for comment and was told the bonding agency didn’t have one to offer regarding Garcia’s whereabouts.