By Jamie Nash / The Police News

July 19. 2009

The owner of a popular Conroe bar was killed around 10 p.m. Saturday night when a car driven by an illegal immigrant turned in front of his motorcycle. The driver and passenger then fled on foot. The crash was the county's second known fatal automobile accident in one day.
 
Rex Dahl, 58, of Conroe was pronounced dead at a local hospital following the collision.
 
Sgt. Jon Buckholtz of the Conroe Police Department said the crash occurred in the 1800 block of E. Davis when an eastbound 1997 Saturn sedan turned northbound in front of a westbound 2003 India motorcycle.
 
Buckholtz said the motorcyclist, 58-year-old Rex Dahl, was unable to avoid a collision.
 
The motorcycle struck the Saturn, which was attempting turn on Bartle St. The Saturn was not drivable, but the uninjured occupants fled on foot down Bartle St., Buckholtz said.
 
CPD Officers Oakland, Devore and Bell responded and found the car was registered to an address on Bartle St.
 
"Patrol officers did an outstanding job," Buckholtz said. "They went to (the driver's) house and found and arrested him and his friend."
 
The driver was hiding behind his house and the passenger was about to get into a vehicle with someone else.
 
Cesar Sanchez, 34, of Conroe (driver) was charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide and Failure to Stop and Render Aid. There is also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold on Sanchez, meaning he is in the US illegally, is not eligible to be released on bond and will be deported after the first two charges are settled by jail time or he is found not guilty. 
 
Armando Bocanegra, 32, of Conroe (passenger) was charged with Public Intoxication and Failure to Report a Felony. There is also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold on Bocanegra, meaning he is in the US illegally, is not eligible to be released on bond and will be deported after the first two charges are settled by jail time or he is found not guilty. 
 
Dahl and his wife Kathy own Thirsty's, a well-known biker bar on FM 3083. The "family friendly" bar was Rex Dahl's dream for his retirement and it came true when the couple signed a rent to own lease on the location in the summer of 2005. Thirsty's quickly became a popular gathering place and has been involved in many benefits and charity events in the years since.
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The Dahl's lost their infant grandson, Rex Matthew Dahl Harris, on Jan. 31, 2008.
 
The crash is under investigation by the CPD Community Oriented Response Team (CORT), with Buckholtz and Officers Jeff Smith and Chris Hill. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office was also a part of the immediate investigation, as part of the new policy by District Attorney Brett Ligon.
 
Saturday's first fatal accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on FM 1791, when 41-year-old Elisa Sue Timm of Brenham lost control of her vehicle for unknown reasons and left the roadway, striking a group of trees. Timm was pronounced dead on the scene and Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Lanny Moriarty conducted an inquest and ordered an autopsy.
 
The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating.