In a surprising incident, a Democratic Texas official was apprehended for suspected drunk driving after a puzzling interaction with law enforcement. Dr. Carla Wyatt, the first African American to serve as Harris County’s treasurer, made headlines when she was discovered asleep behind the wheel of her blue Toyota SUV, which was parked obstructively in the left lane of a highway in Texas City.
The incident occurred just past 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. An officer on the scene turned off Wyatt’s vehicle before attempting to rouse the 56-year-old treasurer from her deep sleep.
According to court documents obtained by KTRK, when awakened, Wyatt reportedly told the officer she believed she was “in heaven.” This unusual response set the stage for a series of perplexing exchanges.
When pressed further about her location, Wyatt, who is responsible for overseeing the finances of Texas’ most populated county, mistakenly stated she was in Houston, although she was actually in Texas City, approximately 42 miles away.
Wyatt also mentioned to the officer that she was en route to Galveston for a conference scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. The encounter raises questions about her condition and the circumstances leading up to this unexpected roadside arrest.
She allegedly told the cop she was heading to Galveston for a conference due to start at 11:30 a.m.
She initially claimed she had one glass of wine before revising the figure to two. The cop could also smell alcohol on her.
Wyatt was swaying and sat on her car’s rear bumper to keep her balance, the officer said in their report.
Wyatt’s Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test performance revealed some signs of impairment, but she allegedly refused to complete any more tests, according to the cop.
She claimed she didn’t feel comfortable due to a previous left foot injury, KPRC reported, citing her arrest affidavit.
Wyatt was booked into the Galveston County jail for DWI before being released – and her lawyer, Christopher Downey, strongly denies there was any criminality.
“We are looking forward to obtaining the discovery in the case and investigating the basis for these charges,” he told Houston Public Media.
“Just like any citizen, Dr. Wyatt should be accorded the presumption of innocence while these accusations remain unproven.”
Wyatt was previously booked on a driving while intoxicated charge in 2023 and recorded a blood-alcohol concentration of .365% – more than four times the legal limit of .08, according to KPRC.
That charge was dismissed in August last year after she completed a court program.
But she was accused of not installing an ignition interlock device on her car, according to her case report.
Wyatt was also arrested in December 2025 on a car burglary charge – which she was ultimately cleared over after a grand jury refused to indict.
She was accused of breaking into another driver’s car and rummaging through items inside.
It was unusual for a grand jury to consider the charge as it was a misdemeanor offense, but her defense welcomed the move.
“Doing so would help to remove any allegation that the charging decision — whether to proceed with a criminal prosecution or not — was politically motivated because it would have been reviewed by a panel of citizens and not just the DA’s office,” Downey told Houston Public Media.
It also emerged that Wyatt had received consultation for cerebrovascular disease and a mini-stroke.
Wyatt is seeking a second term as Harris County Treasurer and will face off against Republican candidate Marc Cowart in November. She was unopposed in the Democratic Party’s primary.
In November 2022, she defeated her Republican rival Kyle Scott by just over three percentage points.
Wyatt was on the ballot paper after defeating the then-Harris County Treasurer Dylan Osborne in the Democratic primary.
