Courts

Man sentenced in deadly immigrant smuggling ring

ODESSA AMERICAN

MIDLAND A 43-year-old Tornillo man was sentenced Monday to six years and eight months in federal prison in connection with an illegal immigrant smuggling operation that resulted in five deaths, a news release stated. Armando Garcia-Lopez was...... Full story

Broken ratchet lawsuit begins

Civil suit should last about 10 days

ODESSA AMERICAN

A civil lawsuit in which a man sued a tool company for selling him a supposedly faulty tool began Tuesday in the 70th District Court.Vincent Dunigan, a former employee with All American Chrysler Dodge, said in the lawsuit that he was working with a...... Full story

Former prosecutor dies after cancer battle

BY JON VANDERLAAN

Leonard Bruce, a long-time Ector County prosecutor affectionately known as Lenny, died Monday morning after a years-long battle with colon cancer. Bruce, 59, retired in March 2011 after 18 chemotherapy treatments over a year made the physical...... Full story

Judge dismisses discrimination case against county

BY JON VANDERLAAN

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed an employment discrimination case of a former Ector County employee who married a sex offender. Shirley Raymond was fired March 8, 2010, from her job with Juvenile Probation after Director Lou Serrano discovered...... Full story

Men sentenced in Barrio Azteca case

ODESSA AMERICAN

Two of the men convicted in the Barrio Azteca racketeering trial were sentenced to federal prison time Thursday, with one man receiving a life sentence. Santos Almanza, 33, and Miguel Nieto, 32, were convicted February in federal court on a count...... Full story

Odessan sentenced for masturbating in front of children (+MUG)

ODESSA AMERICAN

MIDLAND A 47-year-old Odessa man has been sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison after he was found guilty Wednesday on four counts of indecency with a child.Edward Fernandez Medrano, 3700 Merrill Ave., was sentenced Thursday to three years...... Full story

[AP] Ex-priest gets 60 years in murder scheme

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS A Dallas jury has sentenced a former Roman Catholic priest to 60 years in prison for plotting the death of a man who accused him of sexual abuse. Prosecutors had asked for a life sentence for 53-year-old John M. Fiala during...... Full story

Company aims to serve court papers by email

District judge: Texas law now says delivery must be in person, but rules could change in future

BY JON VANDERLAAN

With technology becoming more prevalent in courthouses and electronic filing becoming a desired service, one company is trying to convince attorneys and judges why serving court papers through email is reliable. When someone has a lawsuit filed...... Full story

Former insurance salesman pleads guilty

ODESSA AMERICAN

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A man arrested in Odessa in October 2010 on federal charges that he misled mostly elderly investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars pleaded guilty Thursday to one of 13 counts against him. In his plea agreement, Michael...... Full story

[AP] Trial of ex-priest in reported death plot opens

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS Trial has begun in Dallas of a former Roman Catholic priest accused of plotting the death of a man who accused him of sexual abuse.A neighbor of John M. Fiala when the former priest lived in suburban Dallas accused Fiala of asking him to...... Full story

[BBN] Man indicted in traffic deaths of Marfa, Fort Davis cousins

BY ROBERT HALPERN

MIDLAND An Oklahoma man has been indicted on two felony manslaughter counts in connection with the November 2011 Midland County traffic deaths of Marfa and Fort Davis cousins. Andrew Jerry Muñiz, 25, of Chickasha, Okla.,...... Full story

DA: Men plead guilty in 2010 shooting

NEWS RELEASE

Two men pleaded guilty Monday morning in connection with a 2010 shooting that left 18-year-old Jaime Morales dead and endangered the life of a pursuing peace officer. Eddie Licon Palma Jr., 21, and Rafael Alvarez Jr., 22, pleaded guilty Monday to...... Full story

DA: Grand jury clears OPD officer in shooting

ODESSA AMERICAN

A grand jury on Monday no-billed an officer involved in a shooting but indicted the man he shot. The grand jury indicted 29-year-old Randy DeWayne Göltl on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon of a peace officer and four counts...... Full story

FELONY DISPOSITIONS: April 27 to May 11, 2012

ODESSA AMERICAN

The following is a list of felony dispositions from April 27 through May 11. The list is from the Ector County District Clerk’s Office. Listed attorneys do not necessarily represent who was involved when the case was disposed.ASSAULT Gary...... Full story

Man gets 180 months in prison in drug overdose death

ODESSA AMERICAN

MIDLAND A 50-year-old man received 15 years in prison and 15 more years of supervised release for his part in the May 2010 death of a 22-year-old Midland man who overdosed on presciption drugs. U.S. District Judge sentenced Charles Robert...... Full story