Houston police officers charged with second DWI in two years after crash injures 9, authorities say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — According to investigators, a Houston Police Department officer is facing his second DWI charge in just a matter of two years. The second incident happened earlier this week, when METRO officials say he rear-ended one of their buses at a bus stop near I-45 and Crosstimbers.

Authorities say Sean Ratcliff is the HPD officer who they believe was behind the wheel during the crash at that intersection.

METRO officials say he rear-ended one of their buses. They say two people were sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, and seven others on board were also hurt.

According to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, Ratcliff has been an officer with the department since March of this year, making it his second stint with the HPD.

State records show he started as an HPD officer in January 2013, and a decade later, in May, he was charged with a DWI. The records also show that his time of service with HPD ended in October 2023.

Court filings show that in April 2024, he completed a pre-trial diversion program for the DWI charge, and the case was dismissed before he started again as an HPD officer earlier this year.

Mark Stephens is a police consultant and a former HPD officer who says Ratcliff’s future in law enforcement is now in jeopardy.

“Second chances like this don’t come around very often, and if you blow, you’re done. I don’t know this officer. I don’t know the circumstances around his case. But I agree with the fact that officers ought to be held to a higher standard,” Stephens said.

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