Deputy Constable Jennifer Lauren Chavis

Jennifer Lauren Chavis

Deputy Constable Jennifer Chavis was killed when her patrol car was struck by a drunk driver on Beltway 8 near Fondren Road.

Other drivers had called 911 to report that the driver of a Ford F-550 was possibly drunk and had just fled the scene of another crash. Deputy Chavis positioned her patrol car on the shoulder of Beltway 8 and waited to intercept the vehicle. The vehicle struck the back of her SUV while it was parked on the shoulder, causing it to burst into flames.

Several bystanders detained the driver as he attempted to flee the scene. He was found guilty of intoxicated manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison.

Deputy Constable Chavis was a United States Army Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran who served 1 1/2 years with the Harris County Constable's Office - Precinct 7, assigned to the Toll Road Division. She is survived by her son, mother, sister, brother, and nephew.

The Harris County Toll Road Authority renamed the Southwest Toll Plaza to the Deputy Constable Jennifer L. Chavis Memorial Building.