A former U.S. Attorney is on trial for an alleged hit-and-run accident in Texas.
Jennifer Bess Lowery was arrested earlier this week on charges of failure to stop and render aid. Police said that she got into a collision at an intersection in Houston, but drove her damaged car to her home, where police found it in the driveway of her home. Lowery served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas from December 2021 to December 2022.
According to court documents, Lowery had her first court appearance Tuesday. She was remanded into the custody of the Harris County Sherriff's Office on a $7,500 bond; she was released pending supervision on Wednesday. Her arraignment is set for July 7.
The accident itself happened May 14. Police responded to a collision at the corner of Birdsall Street and Memorial Drive at around 6:15 p.m. They found the victim, Gabriel Fonseca. Fonseca reported being struck on the driver's side, but was able to safely negotiate his vehicle safely off the road; he told officers the other car drove away. Fonseca also reported ringing in his ears, consistent with potentially serious injury. He said it would cost around $35,000 to replace his car, and that he was interested in pursuing charges.
A witness at the scene told officers that he was out walking his dog when he heard the crash from a distance up ahead. He then saw a severely damaged car driving past, and identified the driver as a blonde, white woman in her mid-30s or late 40s. He followed the car and observed it parking in the driveway of a home in reverse. The front end was severely damaged and was leaking fluids. The witness was unable to get a plate number because the car was in reverse and the front bumper was completely missing.
The officer who filed the affidavit and two other officers reported to the home, where they found Lowery's car in the driveway. They observed the car with damage consistent to the witness statement and found the vehicle registered to Jennifer Bess Lowery.
At that point, Lowery's husband approached the officers and said his wife had been in an accident. He was not involved, but received a phone call from his wife and he instructed her to park the car in the driveway. An attorney himself, he said he would provide all necessary information, but had instructed his wife not to give a statement to the police.
Lowery was arrested on Monday.
She also served as an adjunct law professor at the University of Houston from 2018 to 2023.