SAN ANTONIO – Suspension records obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders confirm that two San Antonio firefighters were arrested earlier this year on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in separate incidents.
Firefighters Eric Fraser and Monico Vasquez were both suspended 60 days without pay in June.
Fraser was arrested Jan. 5 around 10:30 p.m. in the 2200 block of NE Loop 410 after a San Antonio Police Department officer saw a car driven by Fraser driving in two lanes of traffic, according to a DWI report.
Related: SAFD firefighter found 'slumped over' in running vehicle suspended 60 days
After being pulled over, Fraser told the officer he had been drinking at a restaurant in the Pearl area and was trying to get to his girlfriend's home, the report said.
The report said that Fraser repeatedly addressed the female officer as "sir" and said he preferred not to address her by gender.
After performing portions of a field sobriety test, Fraser was placed in custody, according to the report.
He later complained of chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital, where nurses drew a blood sample after the officer obtained a warrant.
Related: SAFD firefighter accused of driving while intoxicated, records say
County court records show Fraser, a 10-year SAFD veteran, was officially booked and charged May 1.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 13.
Vasquez, a 13-year veteran of the department, was arrested Feb. 16 after an SAPD officer witnessed a vehicle driven by Vasquez nearly strike a highway exit sign on Interstate 10 near UTSA Boulevard, records show.
Vasquez performed a portion of a field sobriety test before he "was hesitant in performing the test" and was placed under arrest, according to a DWI report.
According to his suspension report, Vasquez agreed to a breath analysis and registered .146 and .134, just below the legal limit for an elevated DWI charge.
County court records show Vasquez is scheduled to accept a plea deal in his case next week.
The Defenders requested suspension paperwork for both firefighters in July. The city, instead, sought to withhold the records and sent our requests to the state attorney general's office for a ruling.
The AG's office ruled Sept. 25 that the city must release the records.
It took the department more than a month to make the records available.
Fraser and Vasquez are at least the third and fourth SAFD firefighters arrested on suspicion of DWI this year.
Firefighter Anthony Salazar was arrested on suspicion of DWI in January after a state trooper claimed to have found him "slumped over" in the driver's seat of a running vehicle in a gas station parking lot.
Firefighter Abel Gomez was arrested in June after a UTSA police officer pulled him over near Loop 1604 and Babcock Road.
Fire Chief Charles Hood declined our request for an interview.
An SAFD spokesman referred us to a previous statement from Hood that said the suspension paperwork for Fraser and Vasquez "speaks for itself."
