SAN ANTONIO – Karen Salinas, 45, and her ex-boyfriend suffered serious burns she allegedly set the man’s car ablaze in the parking lot of the El Tejas Motel in the 2700 block of Roosevelt on the night of May 16, 2016.
Following her release from the hospital for treatment of burns over 25% of her body, Salinas was arrested on arson charges and jailed in lieu of $75,000 bond.
‘You want to f*** with me’: Woman accused of torching man’s car before they both caught fire
On Thursday, Salinas’ lawyer, Angela Tavares, asked that her client be released on a personal recognizance bond.
Salinas’ son, George Carrera, testified that the family could not pay the bond. He also told the court that his mother’s ex-boyfriend, Alejandro Megana, told him that the fire was an accident.
“(Megana) said he was not going to speak of pressing charges,” Carrera testified.
Salinas claimed that she needed care for her burns that she was not getting in jail.
“I cannot get the adequate medicine for my pain, so pain is always an issue,” she testified from jail during Thursday’s remote hearing.
Citing an executive order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott last spring that forbids personal recognizance bonds in violent felony cases, Judge Velia Meza denied Salinas’ request and ordered that her $75,000 bond remain in place.