A 40-year-old man was arrested after he reportedly assaulted his girlfriend and fired one round from a handgun within city limits.
Mark Anthony Rojero was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (family violence), a second-degree felony. Jail records also say Rojero has a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a third-degree felony, and is being held by U.S. Marshals.
The reported assault happened around 10:50 p.m. Oct. 17 in the 1300 block of Zeneta Avenue, an Odessa Police Department probable cause affidavit stated.
Officers reportedly made contact with the victim, identified as Valarie Rodriguez. She stated her boyfriend, Rojero, had just assaulted her.
Rodriguez stated to police that Rojero was using a black handgun to strike the back of her car when she confronted him, the affidavit stated. While he was still holding the handgun, Rojero pushed Rodriguez into the grass/dirt of the neighboring home. Rodriguez stated she got back to her feet when Rojero pushed her a second time.
Rodriguez reportedly detailed the second time she was pushed she hit the back of her head on the concrete/street. Rodriguez stated that sometime during the assault Rojero shot a round out of the handgun in an unknown direction.
Officers also spoke with two witnesses, identified as Amy Minjarez and Ernesto Minjarez who stated Rodriguez arrived at their home around 9:50 p.m. upset about an argument with Rojero, the affidavit stated. Amy Minjarez and Ernesto Minjarez stated they heard banging coming from outside and when they exited the home to see what was going on they saw Rojero striking Rodriguez’s vehicle with a black handgun.
Amy Minjarez reportedly went back inside to call 911 while Ernesto Minjarez remained outside with Rojero and Rodriguez. Ernesto Minjarez stated he saw Rodriguez be pushed down on the street by Rojero. When Rodriguez got back to her feet and tried to walk away, Rojero pushed her a second time into the dirt/grass of the neighbor’s yard.
Witnesses stated that Rojero had the black handgun the entire time the assault was taking place, the affidavit stated. Both Amy Minjarez and Ernesto Minjarez heard one shot, but they had gone back inside to get away from the incident and didn’t see the gun actually fire.
Officers reportedly saw injuries on Rodriguez that included a cut on her left pinky finger, scrapes on her right palm and redness/swelling on the back of her head. Officers also saw dirt/grass on Rodriguez’s clothing and damages to her vehicle that were consistent with being struck by a hard object.
Rojero was located and detained at his and Rodriguez’s home in the 3000 block of West Third Street, the affidavit stated. A search warrant for the residence was later obtained in order to locate the handgun used during the assault. While conducting the search, a black Ruger 9mm was found in Rojero’s bedroom underneath clothing inside a laundry hamper.
Rojero was arrested, charged and booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on Oct. 18, jail records show. Rojero has one bond for the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge that totals $50,000. He was still in custody as of Wednesday morning.
