MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – Family, friends, fellow law enforcement officers and members of the community gathered on Tuesday morning to honor the life of fallen Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy Erika Serrato, who was killed while directing traffic on Interstate 45 on June 28.
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Serrato’s funeral procession started at approximately 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Cashner Funeral Home before traveling west on FM 3083 to Interstate 45, south on I-45 and west on College Park Drive. The procession concluded at The Woodlands Church, located at 1 Fellowship Drive.
Serrato, 24, was struck and killed while assisting at the scene of an earlier DWI crash on the northbound lanes of I-45 near The Woodlands Parkway. Investigators said she was directing traffic when a commercial truck pulling a trailer hit her.
A six-year veteran of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Serrato began her career as a detention officer before becoming a patrol deputy about six months ago.
“She was someone committed to public service since she was 18 years old,” Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said after the crash. “She was smiling, she was happy, and she was doing something that she loved to do in Montgomery County and in this community.”
Another deputy was injured by debris during the crash and is expected to recover.
The driver of the commercial truck, 20-year-old Ian Perez, was arrested and charged with passing certain vehicles causing bodily injury, a charge associated with violating Texas’ Move Over/Slow Down law. Authorities allege Perez failed to move over or slow down while approaching emergency vehicles at the crash scene.
Perez is being held on a $10,000 bond.
Investigators also arrested 34-year-old Ashton Jammer, who authorities said was involved in the initial crash that brought deputies to the scene. He has been charged with driving while intoxicated.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation, and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has said additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.