Observers said the most recent crash and its outcome also may shed light on an entrenched culture of drunk driving in San Antonio and South Texas. However, records suggest that some of the public interest in the trial extends not only from the defendant's blood ties to Ken Batchelor, who founded the upscale Northwest San Antonio dealership that still bears his name, but how local authorities handled a previous incident she had behind the wheel. He added: 'I think it's a little bit of a morbid curiosity and the social class structure of South Texas.' And society loves a good story about how the wealthy and powerful are human like the rest of us and make mistakes.' 'And with that, I think there are assumptions that there's affluence, that there's privilege and opportunity. 'There's been a lot of public interest in this case for class reasons, that the child of someone who has a very publicly recognized name,' San Antonio criminal defense attorney John T. The trial for Batchelor, who's accused of striking and killing motorist David Belter, 49, in a 2022 wrong-way collision, is set to begin May 15 in Kendall County District Court. Documents also suggest the person at the center of that trial - Kendall Lauren Batchelor, the daughter of prominent former car dealer Ken Batchelor - may have received special treatment from authorities. Next week, South Texas will again play host to a trial involving another high-profile defendant accused of causing a crash while intoxicated behind the wheel. What's more, local authorities didn't file a DWI charge against Perry until a month and a half after the crash, leading to more speculation that he received special treatment due to his status. The intoxication manslaughter trial of Kendall Batchelor is set to begin in Kendall County on May 15.Įarlier this month, a San Antonio judge handed down a sentence to District 10 San Antonio City Councilman Clayton Perry that many perceived as a slap on the wrist for charges he faced of fleeing the scene of a hit and run while drunk behind the wheel.ĭespite his involvement in what could have been a deadly collision, Perry received just 12 months of probation and 24 hours of community service.

Kerrville daily times 250 million bond