The former president of the Dallas Police Association pleaded guilty Friday to lying to officers at the scene of a 2025 crash that killed a 25-year-old Dallas woman - admitting he was the one driving and that alcohol had been involved.
Jaime Castro, a former Dallas police officer and past president of the Dallas Police Association, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a police officer in connection with the fatal crash. The charge is a Class B misdemeanor. The plea came nearly one year after the crash on March 15, 2025, in northwest Dallas that killed 25-year-old Atianna Washington, who was attempting to cross a dimly lit portion of the road in the 2500 block of West Northwest Highway when she was struck.
The Dallas County District Attorney's Office confirmed that Castro specifically named someone else as the driver at the scene and told officers that neither he nor his companion had consumed alcohol prior to the crash. Both statements were false. Washington's family told CBS News Texas that police initially described the crash as a hit-and-run, while DPD said publicly that the driver had remained at the scene.
A civil lawsuit filed by the Washington family alleges that witnesses saw Castro getting out of the driver's seat shortly after the crash and that both he and his girlfriend admitted to consuming alcohol earlier that day.
As part of the plea agreement, Castro will surrender his peace officer license, complete DWI classes, pay a fine, and serve one year of deferred probation, according to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office. Castro joined DPD in 1998. He retired from DPD in January.
The case raised serious questions about the integrity of the original scene investigation. Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement that his office's Public Integrity Unit conducted a thorough review but that the original on-scene work was lacking. Creuzot acknowledged that whether additional crimes were committed may never be known, citing the incomplete nature of the initial investigation and noting that his office had no part in it. Two Dallas police officers who responded to the crash were placed on administrative leave - one assigned to the DWI unit and one to the traffic division. Sources said neither officer administered an alcohol or drug test at the scene.
Dallas Police Association members voted Castro out as president during the investigation, electing Sean Pease as the union's new leader.
Washington was confirmed to have been a young mother to a little boy. The Washington family's civil lawsuit remains pending, with attorney James Roberts saying the family's focus remains on obtaining full accountability for her death.
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