Galveston City Council Member Jason Hardcastle, who represents District 6, was arrested on Friday night, October 30, after a two-vehicle crash on Seawall Boulevard, and now faces charges of driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest, search or transportation, according to a Galveston Police Department press release issued on Saturday, October 31. Police say no one was injured in the crash. The charges are allegations, and Hardcastle is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: KGTX 7, Galveston Police Department
Officers responded at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Friday to the 6800 block of Seawall Boulevard, Galveston's coastal boulevard along the Gulf, for a two-vehicle crash. Hardcastle was one of the drivers and was alone in his vehicle; the people in the other vehicle were uninjured, officials said, in reporting by i45NOW based on a written statement from Galveston Police Public Information Officer Kurt Koopmann.
Source: i45NOW, Galveston Police statement
During the crash investigation, the responding officer observed signs of possible intoxication involving Hardcastle, according to the department. After further investigation, officers arrested him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, first offense — a Class B misdemeanour under Texas law.
The blood warrant and the second charge
Police said Hardcastle declined to provide a breath sample. Officers then obtained a search warrant for a blood specimen, to be collected by a trained medical professional at a local hospital — identified in i45NOW's reporting as UTMB, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
While officers were executing the warrant at the hospital, Hardcastle allegedly physically resisted their efforts, police said. That allegation led to the additional charge of resisting arrest, search or transportation, a Class A misdemeanour. Reporting based on the police statement says officers reported that he physically resisted attempts by medical staff to conduct the blood draw.
Booking, release and the defence response
Hardcastle was booked into the Galveston County Jail. His bond was set at $1,000 for the DWI charge and $1,500 for the resisting charge — $2,500 in total — and Galveston police confirmed on Saturday that he was no longer in the county jail after posting bond, according to local reporting.
Attorney Jonathan Zendeh Del said his firm, Zendeh Del & Associates, PLLC, will represent Hardcastle and has begun reviewing the evidence and circumstances surrounding the arrest. In a statement, Zendeh Del said the defence intends to vigorously challenge the allegations, including the scientific evidence and constitutional issues involved, and emphasised that consuming alcohol and driving does not, by itself, constitute a DWI offence under Texas law. He also described Hardcastle as a longtime, respected member of the community who has never previously been arrested.
The DWI and resisting charges have not been adjudicated in court. Police statements describe what officers say they observed and what they allege happened at the hospital; the defence says it will challenge the evidence. No court finding has been made.
Background: the office and the law
Hardcastle serves on Galveston City Council for District 6 and previously served as chairman of the Galveston Park Board of Trustees — a role that is the subject of separate civil lawsuits naming him in his official capacity, according to Chopper Rose reporting. Those civil lawsuits are unrelated to the criminal allegations in this arrest, and this story makes no link between them beyond noting the public-office context in which a council member's arrest is reported.
Source: Chopper Rose Productions
Under Texas law, the legal question in a DWI case is intoxication while operating a vehicle, not simply whether a driver had consumed alcohol — the distinction the defence statement drew. A first-offence DWI charged as a Class B misdemeanour and a resisting charge charged as a Class A misdemeanour are both matters the county courts will now handle through arraignment and subsequent hearings, where the blood-specimen evidence obtained under the warrant can be challenged.
What happens next
The case will proceed through the Galveston County courts. Readers should expect an arraignment and future court dates to be set, the blood-test evidence and the warrant process to be central if the case is contested, and any statement from the City of Galveston or the council about Hardcastle's duties to come separately from the criminal process. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if the council, the city or the court issues a further verified statement.