Drunk Driver Who Hit Officer Pleads Guilty, Gets 12 Years in Jail

LONGVIEW � Just a couple of days after former Longview Officer Leigh Ann Snyder’s termination was upheld by the city, the drunk driver who hit her pleaded guilty in court Friday. KETK reports Officer Snyder was present at the hearing. Snyder was critically injured after her squad car was hit by an uninsured drunk driver, Ramon Antonio Dominguez, 23, of Longview, on the job in December 2011. Dominguez was arrested following the wreck and charged with two counts of intoxicated assault. His bond was set at $100,000. 188th District Court Judge David Brabham sentenced the drunk driver to 12 years in jail.

Dominguez read a statement following his sentence saying, “sorry, [he] never meant for it to happen and prays one day Leigh Ann Synder can forgive him.” Officer Snyder also spoke at the hearing, reliving the painful experience. “I thought I was going to die that day. All I could think about was my children,” said Snyder. “I was excited about my future.”

Since the crash, Snyder has undergone multiple surgeries and has been unable to return to duty due to her injuries. She spent four weeks in a local hospital before she was released. Due to a Longview city policy, the officer was terminated a year after the accident on December 11, 2012. In 2007, the city changed its policy to allow employees to remain off duty for 12 months before being terminated. Prior to that time, workers would be terminated after six months. Snyder is the fifth city employee and first police officer to be terminated under this policy.