Former Fort Worth city council member served 45 nights in jail after probation violation
Former Fort Worth city council member Cary Moon spent 45 nights in jail in January after he violated his probation agreement from a 2020 drunken driving arrest.
Moon, who pleaded no contest in to driving while intoxicated June 2021, said he was three weeks away from finishing his 18-months probation when the violation occurred.
He served from Jan. 17 till Feb. 28 reporting at 11 p.m. each night and leaving at 6 a.m. each morning.
The terms of his probation included not drinking alcohol, submitting to urinalysis testing, completing community service and getting permission to travel out of state.
He was accused of violating those conditions in October 2021, after which he agreed to a deal in March 2022 to spend two days in jail and wear an ankle monitor for four months.
This latest violation occurred in November 2022 when an ignition interlock device in his truck detected the presence of alcohol, according to court records.
Moon said he’d been out drinking the night before, and used a ride-share service to get home. When he returned to his truck the next morning, the device detected the alcohol.
He called the violation an administrative failure, adding that he opted for the jail time rather than have his probation extended another six months.
“I could have done better in the system on my part for sure,” Moon said.
Moon served on the Fort Worth City Council from 2015 to 2021, leaving before the end of his term to run an unsuccessful campaign for a Texas House seat.
He served on the board of directors for the city’s sports authority until the end of 2022. The Fort Worth City Council will vote on a resolution to reappoint him Tuesday.
The Star-Telegram obtained video of Moon’s 2020 arrest through an open records request. It showed him struggling to comply with officer commands and repeatedly failing field sobriety tests.
“It weighs on me everyday,” Moon said Thursday.
This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 4:20 PM.
CORRECTION: Cary Moon served 45 nights in jail between Jan. 17 and Feb. 28, 2023. He served from 11 p.m. each night to 6 a.m. the next morning. The terms of his sentence were incorrect in a previous version of this story.
.jpg)