Record

Draft reporter’s record

City of Amarillo v. Marisol Herrera · generated from the electronic recording for the official court reporter

Draft for the reporter
This is a working draft, laid out in 25 numbered lines per page. On appeal, the official court reporter transcribes from the recording, resolves every bracketed review note and certifies the record. Machine translations and interpreter checks appear in brackets and are not part of the certified record.
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · PREPARED FROM ELECTRONIC RECORDING
CITATION NO. A-26-103882
CITY OF AMARILLO
v.
MARISOL HERRERA
IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT OF RECORD
CITY OF AMARILLO, TEXAS
REPORTER’S RECORD
TRIAL BEFORE THE COURT

On Friday, October 2, 2026, the above-styled and numbered cause came on to be heard before the Honorable Carolyn Brandt, Judge Presiding, in Courtroom 1, Amarillo, Texas. Proceedings were recorded by electronic recording device.

APPEARANCES:
Daniel Okoro, Assistant City Attorney
Luis Navarro, Licensed court interpreter (Spanish)
Marisol Herrera, appearing pro se

INDEX
PROCEEDINGS
Pretrial matters3
State's case3
Defense's case5
Verdict6
WITNESSES
Marisol Herrerathrough interpreter
Officer Kyle Brennan
EXHIBITS
State's Exhibit 1: Radar unit calibration certificate4 Admitted
State's Exhibit 2: Photograph of the posted school zone sign and beacon, SW 9th Avenue4 Admitted
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  1. 1(Proceedings recorded electronically. Times are Central.)
  2. 2
  3. 3PRETRIAL MATTERS8:31:00 AM
  4. 4 THE COURT: We're on the record in City of Amarillo versus8:31:05 AM
  5. 5Marisol Herrera, citation A-26-103882. Ms. Herrera, you've asked
  6. 6for a trial before the court without a jury, and the court has
  7. 7appointed Mr. Navarro to interpret for you. Is that correct?
  8. 8 THE INTERPRETER (in Spanish): Señora Herrera, usted pidió un8:31:21 AM
  9. 9juicio ante el juez, sin jurado, y el tribunal nombró al señor
  10. 10Navarro para interpretar para usted. ¿Es correcto?
  11. 11[Machine translation for reporter review: Mrs. Herrera, you
  12. 12 asked for a trial before the judge, without a jury, and the
  13. 13 court appointed Mr. Navarro to interpret for you. Is that
  14. 14 correct?]
  15. 15 THE DEFENDANT (in Spanish): Sí, es correcto.8:31:34 AM
  16. 16[Machine translation for reporter review: Yes, that is correct.]
  17. 17 THE INTERPRETER: Yes, that is correct.8:31:37 AM
  18. 18 THE COURT: Mr. Okoro, you may call your first witness.8:31:42 AM
  19. 19
  20. 20STATE'S CASE8:31:45 AM
  21. 21 MR. OKORO: The City calls Officer Kyle Brennan.8:31:47 AM
  22. 22 THE COURT: Officer, raise your right hand. Do you swear the8:32:10 AM
  23. 23testimony you're about to give will be the truth, the whole
  24. 24truth, and nothing but the truth?
  25. 25 OFFICER BRENNAN: I do.8:32:18 AM
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Marisol Herrera
4
  1. 1 MR. OKORO: Officer Brennan, on September eighth at about 7:40 in8:32:24 AM
  2. 2the morning, where were you assigned?
  3. 3 OFFICER BRENNAN: I was running stationary radar on Southwest8:32:31 AM
  4. 4Ninth Avenue, in the school zone just west of Bowie Street.
  5. 5 MR. OKORO: What did you observe?8:32:39 AM
  6. 6 OFFICER BRENNAN: A gray Nissan Altima traveling eastbound. My8:32:42 AM
  7. 7radar showed thirty-eight miles per hour. The school zone
  8. 8beacons were flashing, and the posted limit is twenty.
  9. 9 MR. OKORO: Your Honor, the City offers State's Exhibit 1, the8:36:40 AM
  10. 10calibration certificate for the radar unit, and State's Exhibit
  11. 112, a photograph of the posted school zone sign.
  12. 12(State's Exhibit 1 offered.)8:36:40 AM
  13. 13(State's Exhibit 2 offered.)8:36:40 AM
  14. 14 THE COURT: Ms. Herrera, any objection to these exhibits?8:36:51 AM
  15. 15 THE INTERPRETER (in Spanish): Señora Herrera, ¿tiene alguna8:36:55 AM
  16. 16objeción a estas pruebas?
  17. 17[Machine translation for reporter review: Mrs. Herrera, do you
  18. 18 have any objection to these exhibits?]
  19. 19 THE DEFENDANT (in Spanish): No, pero las luces no estaban8:36:59 AM
  20. 20prendidas cuando yo pasé.
  21. 21[Machine translation for reporter review: No, but the lights
  22. 22 were not on when I went by.]
  23. 23 THE INTERPRETER: No, but the lights were not on when I went by.8:37:04 AM
  24. 24 THE COURT: Exhibits 1 and 2 are admitted. Ms. Herrera, you may8:37:09 AM
  25. 25tell the court your side of what happened.
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Marisol Herrera
5
  1. 1
  2. 2DEFENSE'S CASE8:39:50 AM
  3. 3 THE DEFENDANT (in Spanish): Yo llevo a mis hijos a la escuela8:40:02 AM
  4. 4todos los días. Ese día las luces amarillas no estaban
  5. 5parpadeando. Yo iba a la velocidad de siempre, como treinta y
  6. 6cinco.
  7. 7[Machine translation for reporter review: I take my children to
  8. 8 school every day. That day the yellow lights were not flashing.
  9. 9 I was going my usual speed, about thirty-five.]
  10. 10 THE INTERPRETER: I take my kids to school every day. That day8:40:12 AM
  11. 11the yellow lights weren't flashing. I was going my usual speed.
  12. 12[REVIEW: interpreter rendition differs from the source.
  13. 13 Rendition omits "como treinta y cinco" ("about thirty-five"),
  14. 14 the defendant's own estimate of her speed. Clerk: Flag shown to
  15. 15 the court at 8:40:31. Interpreter corrected the rendition on the
  16. 16 record (next line).]
  17. 17 THE COURT: Mr. Navarro, did the defendant give a speed in that8:40:31 AM
  18. 18answer?
  19. 19 THE INTERPRETER: Correction, Your Honor. The defendant also8:40:36 AM
  20. 20said, "about thirty-five."
  21. 21 THE COURT: Thank you. Officer Brennan, were the beacons8:41:02 AM
  22. 22operating that morning?
  23. 23 OFFICER BRENNAN: Yes, Your Honor. The beacon log for that8:41:06 AM
  24. 24morning is attached to my report. They ran from 7:15 to 8:15.
  25. 25
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Marisol Herrera
6
  1. 1VERDICT8:49:25 AM
  2. 2 THE COURT: The court finds the defendant guilty of speeding in a8:49:30 AM
  3. 3school zone. The fine is set at two hundred ten dollars plus
  4. 4court costs. Ms. Herrera, you have the right to appeal, and the
  5. 5clerk will give you the paperwork.
  6. 6 THE INTERPRETER (in Spanish): El tribunal la declara culpable de8:49:45 AM
  7. 7exceso de velocidad en zona escolar. La multa es de doscientos
  8. 8diez dólares más los costos del tribunal. Señora Herrera, usted
  9. 9tiene derecho a apelar, y la secretaria le dará los documentos.
  10. 10[Machine translation for reporter review: The court finds you
  11. 11 guilty of speeding in a school zone. The fine is two hundred ten
  12. 12 dollars plus court costs. Mrs. Herrera, you have the right to
  13. 13 appeal, and the clerk will give you the documents.]
  14. 14
  15. 15(End of recorded proceedings.)
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UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Marisol Herrera