Ex-Missouri City officer accused of killing grandmother in drunken-driving crash heads to court

MISSOURI CITY, Texas – A former Missouri City police officer accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a registered nurse, who was also a mother and grandmother, appeared in court Monday.

Stephen Alan Cook, 45, was arrested in the death of 62-year-old Evelyn Brown. Police said Brown was helping her stepdaughter, 30, and grandchildren fill the empty gas tank of her stalled vehicle around 8 p.m. Oct. 15 after they ran out of gas in the area of the 10900 block of 59 Southwest Freeway.

During a brief court appearance Monday, Cook was in a wheelchair when he faced a judge. It's unclear why Cook was in a wheelchair, since the prosecutor said he wasn't injured in the crash or in jail.

During Cook's initial court appearance, prosecutors said he told police he drank 10 Bud Lights between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. that day.

Police said Brown pulled her Nissan behind the stepdaughter's Nissan, and the whole family stood between the two cars as they were fueling up the car.

Cook was driving on the 59 Southwest Freeway inbound in a Mercury Grand Marquis when he clipped a white van and smashed into the back of Brown's Nissan, according to authorities.

When the Mercury hit the Nissan, it slammed forward into her stepdaughter's car, crushing Brown between the two cars, police said.

The stepdaughter and her 15-year-old daughter were both struck, as well. Her 9-year-old son managed to jump out of the way, authorities said.

All family members were taken to the hospital, where Brown died, according to officials.

The mother of the two children was in serious condition, but expected to live. The 15-year-old girl was being treated for minor injuries, according to officials.

"My sister did not deserve that by a drunk driver. When the incident happened, she ended up falling on top of her granddaughter and her granddaughter said: 'Grammy are you OK?' and she said: 'Grammy is OK, Grammy is OK,' until she couldn't say anything else,." Brown's sister, Kaye Harper, said. 

"If he was a formal police officer he should know better, he shouldn't drink (and) drive -- nobody should drink and drive. At some point, we're going to have to enforce the rule of the law to make sure these drunk drivers can't continue to be on the road."

Cook was treated for minor injuries, then arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter, police said.

The driver of the van was not hurt.

Cook is charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two charges of intoxication assault with a vehicle, according to court documents. The intoxication charges are stackable if the judge chooses to turn them consecutively.

His bond is set at $150,000. The judge read the conditions if Cook does post bond -- he cannot drive a car, cannot drink alcohol and he'll have to use an alcohol-monitoring device.

Cook has two prior DWI arrests. He resigned in 2007 after a DWI arrest. Cook was convicted in 2012 of driving while intoxicated in Fort Bend County.