Rigo Vivar is facing manslaughter charges in connection with a deadly crash that happened nearly a year ago east of downtown Houston.
HOUSTON — A former deputy constable accused of killing a man in a crash on his way to work last year appeared before a judge on Thursday.
It’s a moment Ricardo “Ricky” Resendez’s family feared might never come.
The crash happened Aug. 24, 2024, when then-Harris County Precinct 6 deputy constable Rigo Vivar was heading to work in his personal vehicle.
Investigators said he was speeding when he went around a car and into oncoming traffic, where he hit and killed Resendez, who was about a block away from his home.
“Was going at a high rate of speed when he crashed into the complaint and killed him,” Assistant District Attorney Whitney Rasberry said.
Resendez was 28. His family immediately began the calls for justice.
Vivar, 27, wasn’t arrested after the crash, and Resendez’s family held peaceful protests demanding that charges be filed.
Weeks turned into months until the district attorney finally filed manslaughter charges. Vivas was arrested earlier this week, nearly a year after the crash.
Ricky’s family members were there on Thursday when Vivar walked into court. They have their own beliefs as to why it took so long for charges to be filed.
“I was happy things were finally moving along and that my brother hadn’t been forgotten,” Brenda Resendez, Ricardo’s sister, said.
She said her family was told the delay was due to a new regime taking over the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, but she didn’t buy it.
“It definitely felt the delay was because he was an officer,” she said.
A judge set Vivar’s bond at $100,000, a number Brenda said caught her off guard.
“Insufficient … my personal thought? Insufficient. You can’t quantify the loss of life and I would not put it at $100,000,” Brenda said.
Vivar is due back in court in September.