SAN ANTONIO – A woman charged with the DWI crash that killed a retired Converse Police assistant chief in 2020 was sentenced to ten years in prison per a plea deal.
Jeanne-Nicole Coutros was charged with intoxication manslaughter and evading arrest after hitting the vehicle Rodney Rex Rheiner was in. The evading arrest charge was waived because she agreed to plead guilty to the intoxication manslaughter charge.
On March 10, 2020, Coutros had been driving erratically on Nacogdoches Road. An SAPD officer attempted to stop Coutros, but as he was about to get out of the car she took off in her Tacoma pickup.
The Tacoma continued driving at a high rate of speed on Nacogdoches, police said. The Tacoma swerved to avoid hitting a vehicle, drove into oncoming traffic lanes and hit the Lincoln SUV that Rheiner was in as the driver attempted to take a left turn, police said.
After being sentenced on Tuesday, family and friends of Rheiner gave victim impact statements.
“You took away my best friend,” Rheiner’s wife Linda Rheiner wrote in a letter read in court.
Linda Rheiner’s letter was read by her son John Rheiner who was also in the vehicle during the crash.
The letter described Rheiner’s career in law enforcement and his work with the community.
Coutros stood still as the letter was written but broke down in tears as Rheiner’s daughter-in-law spoke about having to explain to her own daughter about the loss of her grandfather.
“Do you know what it’s like to have your favorite person in the whole entire world taken away from you?” Briana Rayos said. “At seven years old she wants you to know you broke her heart and that her heart breaks every day.”
Former Converse Police Chief Rick Jameson and Converse Mayor Al Suarez also spoke during victim impact statements.
“Today is all about accountability about your accountability for your actions, your choices, this was no accident this was choices,” Suarez said. “My hope is you serve the entire maximum time.”
Coutros is eligible for parole after serving half of the ten-year sentence.