According to the Odessa Police Department, a 27-year-old Odessa man was arrested Saturday morning after officers spotted him in a stolen Jeep Patriot he crashed a few moments later and abandoned.
According to an arrest affidavit, officers spotted the Jeep at 6 a.m. Saturday near Second Street and Kelly Avenue and pulled it over. A woman sitting in the passenger seat got out, but the driver, Nathanial Ochoa, took off in the Jeep.
The woman told officers Ochoa was heading for his home in the 1200 block of North Kelly and was armed with a handgun, the report stated.
Officers found the abandoned Jeep minutes later in the 1300 block of Amburgey Avenue because it had crashed into another vehicle, the report stated. The Jeep was still running.
Inside the Jeep, officers found a gram of methamphetamines and a 40 caliber bullet that matched the same caliber as a gun that had been thrown from the vehicle in the 300 block of North Kelly, the report stated.
Ochoa was found a short time later and he was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest with a motor vehicle, unlawful carrying a weapon, tampering with evidence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident. He was also arrested on outstanding warrants in aggravated assault and drug cases.
Ochoa remained in the Ector County jail Monday on surety bonds totaling $114,500.
According to OPD reports, officers obtained a search warrant for Ochoa’s home and found a 9 mm Taurus handgun, 3.4 grams of methamphetamine, 8 grams of psychedelic mushrooms, five fentanyl-laced pills and a small quantity of marijuana inside.
Elisa Prieto was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. She remained in the Ector County jail Monday evening on surety bonds totaling $70,500.
Ricardo Hernandez Jr. was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felony and an outstanding warrant in a theft of property case. He remained in custody Monday night on a U.S. Marshal hold and surety bonds totaling $19,000.
