HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas is now facing felony charges. Investigators say she left the scene of a crash in Houston that injured another driver.
Jennifer Lowery spent over twenty years prosecuting crimes in the Southern District of Texas. The Department of Justice announced her appointment as U.S. attorney in 2022. Now, court documents accuse her of failing to stop and help after a crash that was caught on camera.
Surveillance video obtained by ABC13 shows a black sedan heading north on Asbury Street around 8:07 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. The sedan crashes into a car going west on Memorial Drive. Gabriel Fonseca was driving that car after attending a downtown church service and heading to Memorial Park to exercise.
“Last second, didn’t have time to swerve, so I just laid down my horn and smacked me right on the driver’s side,” recalled Fonseca. “After that, I just heard a really loud ringing in my ear, and there was dust everywhere.
Fonseca says he remembers the airbags deployed, and he was confused as he tried to get help moments after the impact.
“I remember pulling into the closest parking lot. Somehow, I called 911. I couldn’t open the door, so I crawled out,” he said.
Witnesses ran over to help Fonseca, but investigators say the driver of the black sedan, identified in court records as Lowery, did not. The video shows the black sedan staying at the scene for only about two and a half minutes before leaving.
“She didn’t even check to see if I was dead, ” Fonseca said. “It’s a selfish and cowardly thing to do, to hit someone and run away without even being concerned.”
According to court documents, a witness followed the damaged car to a nearby home and later gave police a description of both the car and the driver. Officers then went to the house and reportedly found the damaged sedan.
Records show that on the night of the crash, police spoke to Lowery’s husband, who is also an attorney. He told police that Lowery would not be making a statement that night.
Lowery, who often appeared at news conferences as U.S. Attorney, was arrested at her home Monday afternoon and charged with felony failure to stop and render aid.
At a probable cause hearing, Lowery was escorted out of the courtroom before the charges were formally read. She has since posted bond and left jail.
ABC13 went to the home listed in court records as Lowery’s address. No one answered the door, but the damaged car was still in the driveway. The missing front bumper seemed to match the crash site.
Fonseca says he did not know the woman accused of hitting him was a former top federal prosecutor until reporters showed him the court documents.
“It’s quite ironic,” he said. “Her career is holding people accountable.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on personnel matters. However, sources tell ABC13 that Lowery is still employed by the Department of Justice.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.