Texas Man Criminally Charged for Freeway Marriage Proposal
Romance means different things to different people. Some people propose marriage on one knee at the beach with a diamond ring in hand, others pop the question in sky writing, or deliver it in a singing telegram.
For Vidal Valladares of Houston, Texas a romantic engagement means a freeway full of furiously honking cars. He now faces criminal charges for his marriage proposal to Michelle Wycoff on Interstate 25 last Sunday, according to The Associated Press.
An Ominous Start?
Valladares got on one knee in the middle of Interstate 25 reportedly, proposing to Wycoff as onlookers shouted angrily and car and truck horns sounded all around. Wycoff said yes.
But the first order of business will not be choosing a dress. It will be ensuring that her husband-to-be is not in custody. Valladares has already been charged for his romantic gesture. He faces up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine for class B misdemeanor obstruction of a roadway. Reporters could not reach him for comment.
The Texas Code
Texas Penal Code Section 42.03 governs obstruction of a roadway. It provides the following in pertinent part. "A person commits an offense if, without legal privilege or authority, he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly ... obstructs a highway ... regardless of the means of creating the obstruction."
For purposes of this section, "obstruct" means to render impassable or to render passage unreasonably inconvenient or hazardous.
Although Valladares's alleged crime is cute, he will still need to fight the charge or resolve the case with a plea. Given that his crime is documented on video and posted online -- and that it may not be difficult to find witnesses to the unusual proposal -- he might want to negotiate a plea deal.
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- Man Proposes to His Girlfriend Through Her Criminal Lawyer (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Is It Legal to Pass on the Right? (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Road Rage Is a Crime (FindLaw)