Affidavit: EPPD Officer Charged with DWI Admitted to Texting Moments Before Crash

An off-duty El Paso Police officer was arrested Tuesday night.

Police charged Eduardo Chavez, 31, with DWI.

According to a complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7, Chavez provided a sample of his breath which allegedly revealed an alcohol content level in between .173 and .185.

That is more than double the legal limit.

Chavez is a 7-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department and is assigned to the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center.

He was traveling on Gateway South shortly after 7 p.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve onto Border Highway East and collided into the wall.

He allegedly admitted to police officers he was texting before he crashed.

Police say no one else and no other vehicles were involved in the collision.

Chavez, also known as Eduardo Escalante, was taken to a hospital where he was cleared medically and then booked into the El Paso County Detention facility under a $1,000 bond.

He has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the criminal and administrative cases.