Odessa homicide suspect facing new charges

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa man charged in connection with the death of a pedestrian is facing new charges after investigators said they allegedly caught him asleep behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle. Jose Armando Gonzalez has been charged with Theft of Property, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; that’s in addition to previous charges levied against Gonzalez earlier this year, Possession of Meth and Criminally Negligent Homicide.

According to an Odessa Police Department report, on July 17, officers were called to the 1300 block of Clifford to assist with a recovered stolen vehicle after deputies with the Ector County Sheriff’s Office called and said they’d found a stolen GMC Sierra parked near the curb line. When the officers arrived, they found Gonzalez asleep behind the wheel.

Gonzalez was detained and during a search of the vehicle, investigators said they found a glass pile and a baggie containing methamphetamine.

As part of the investigation, officers also learned that Gonzalez was wanted on two warrants for going off bond in the possession case from April and the homicide case from January. He was arrested and taken to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center where he remained as of Thursday afternoon; his bond has not yet been set.

As for Gonzalez’s pending homicide case, here is what we know:

Around 7:33 p.m. on January 24, OPD officers responded to an auto/pedestrian crash in the area of E 8 ^th Street and Lettie Lee Avenue. At the scene, officers found 50-year-old Bracia Paige dead.

Investigators said Paige was trying to cross the roadway when he was struck by a Chevrolet Silverado, driven by an unlicensed and uninsured Gonzalez. Security video obtained from the area showed that Gonzalez was traveling about 58 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone at the time of the crash.

On January 26, Gonzales was charged in connection with Paige’s death and released on bond in early February.

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