crime

Drug dealer charged with giving drinks to woman convicted of killing teens in wrong-way accident

A Spring man has been charged with providing drinks for a 22-year-old woman on the evening she drove the wrong direction on I-45, killing two teenagers and permanently injuring a third.

Hours before a jury sentenced Nicole Baukus to 34 years in prison on Friday, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Kambiz Michael Duran, who was caught on surveillance camera that tragic night in 2012 as he was giving drinks to the defendant during her four-hour bender at a Woodlands bar.

According to public records, Duran currently is serving a 180-day stint in a Harris County jail for possession of marijuana and criminal forgery. Officials with Montgomery County are permitted to detain the accused upon his release in December.

Duran has been no stranger to the court system in the last decade.

Witnesses identified 29-year-old Duran as attorneys played a video of Baukus consuming a total of 21 drinks at the then-named On the Rox sports bar, which agreed to a $1-million settlement in April.

Prosecutors tell the Houston Chronicle that laws blocking bartenders from selling drinks to intoxicated patrons also applies to customers who give alcohol to someone who has had too much.

The incriminating sports bar footage led the defendant to change her plea to guilty at Friday's trial, during which KHOU Channel 11 reports that she took the stand to reveal her own thoughts of suicide.

“I don't deserve to be here. I should have died in that crash also,” she told jurors. “They did not deserve to die. I did. They were innocent."

A busy criminal past

Duran has been no stranger to the court system in the last decade. In 2002, he was arrested and later convicted for producing LSD as well as for transporting a sizable amount of marijuana and possessing an illegal firearm.

County records show that he also pled guilty to another drug and weapons possession incident in 2010.

The charges behind Duran's current jail time date to December, when he set his Spring home ablaze while making "earwax" — a liquid pot derivative known for its dangerous Breaking Bad-style manufacturing process.

Watch the KHOU Channel 11 report:

Nicole Baukus was sentenced to 34 years in prison for a fatal DWI accident in 2012.

Nicole Baukus 17 shots killed two teen-agers in crash mug shot THIS VERTICAL

Montgomery County Police Reporter

Nicole Baukus was sentenced to 34 years in prison for a fatal DWI accident in 2012.

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flag-waving news

Texas drops on new list of most patriotic states in U.S.

Photo by Ray Shrewsberry on Unsplash

Texas ranked a dismal No. 45 this year after previously ranking as the 36th most patriotic state in 2024.

This may come as a surprise for many Texans, but the Lone Star State is far from being the most patriotic place in America, according to a new report.

WalletHub's latest study ranking the "Most Patriotic States in America" for 2025 placed Texas near the bottom of the list as No. 45, marking a significant nine-place drop from its rank as the 36th most patriotic state in 2024.

According to the findings, the three most patriotic states in America are Virginia (No. 1), Montana (No. 2), and Vermont (No. 3). Colorado (No. 4) and Oregon (No. 5) round out the top five most passionate, flag-waving states in 2025.

Texas flopped toward the bottom mainly due to its civic engagement rank (No. 47), but it did perform fairly well in the military engagement category (No. 13).

Texas has the third-highest average number of military enlistees, the report found, but it had the second-lowest percentage of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said patriotism can't be defined by geographic region or by which states fly the most American flags. Rather, true patriotism can be found in states with high voter turnouts, high volunteer rates, and more.

“The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national or local organizations," Lupo said.

States like Virginia and Montana ranked at the top of the list due to their high voter turnout rates during the 2024 presidential election, plus high volunteer rates in local or national organizations. Virginia is also home to the third-highest population of active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilians, and there are 27 military bases in the state.

The report further acknowledges that many Americans may not be feeling very patriotic this year because of "societal issues" that span from "relentless high inflation" to tragedies like mass shootings.

"Many people may find it hard to celebrate a country where countless people are struggling and frequent violence persists," the report's author wrote. "However, an expression of love for fellow citizens is patriotic in itself."

Joining Texas among the least patriotic American states are Florida (No. 46), Alabama (No. 47), Louisiana (No. 48), New York (No. 49), and Arkansas (No. 50).

The top 10 most patriotic states in America are:

No. 1 – Virginia
No. 2 – Montana
No. 3 – Vermont
No. 4 – Colorado
No. 5 – Oregon
No. 6 – Washington
No. 7 – North Dakota
No. 8 – Maryland
No. 9 – Minnesota
No. 10 – New Hampshire

The report analyzed all 50 states across 13 "indicators of patriotism" based on military and civic engagement, including factors such as the rate of veterans living in each state for every 1,000 civilians; the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election and the 2020 primary elections; the number of AmeriCorps volunteers per capita, and more.

texas wallethub reports patriotism