MIDLAND Midland County District Attorney Laura Nodolf announced in a Friday news release that a 34-year-old Laredo man was sentenced late Thursday to a term of 5 years in prison and a $5000 fine by a Midland County jury.
Jesus Castanon was charged in case number CR58805 with the felony offense of Intoxication Manslaughter. After hearing evidence through the first part of the week, the jury found Castanon guilty on Thursday afternoon and immediately moved into the punishment portion of the trial. After hearing additional evidence and deliberating, the jury returned later Thursday evening and announced the prison sentence for the defendant, denying his request for a probated sentence, the release said.
The evidence presented in the case showed that, in August of 2022, Castanon was driving eastbound on Interstate 20 in his truck tractor when he fell asleep at the wheel and collided with the guardrail. That collision caused the truck’s tire to blow and sent the truck veering into oncoming traffic in the westbound lanes.
Castanon ran head-on into a Jeep Grand Cherokee being driven by 82-year-old Granvil Lee Oden of Lovington, New Mexico. Oden was killed instantly.
An investigation by Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Troopers showed Castanon’s blood alcohol concentration to be 0.14, or nearly two times the standard for intoxication in Texas.
On the charge of Intoxication Manslaughter, Castanon, who had no significant criminal convictions, faced a possible punishment anywhere from probation to twenty years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Because the jury also found that defendant’s truck in the case amounted to a deadly weapon, he must serve at least one half of the sentence before he is eligible to be considered for parole. Eligibility for parole does not guarantee that parole will be granted.
The case was prosecuted by Midland County Assistant District Attorneys Todd Meador and Eric Kalenak. Castanon was represented by Midland attorney Isaiah Jackson. The trial was held in the 142nd District Court and presided over by Judge David Rogers.
