Gabriel Monte

Lubbock

Crime & Courts Reporter at Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Courts, cops, crime and public safety reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Opinions, if any, are my own.

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Articles

Lubbock man acquitted in 2015 facing new sexual abuse charge

5 days ago | yahoo.com | Gabriel Monte

A 58-year-old man acquitted by a Lubbock jury nearly a decade ago after he was accused of sexually abusing a teenager in 2015 faces a new charge of sexual abuse. Curtis Johnson, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his Feb. 23, 2022 arrest, was indicted last week by a Lubbock County Grand jury on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Man caught in bed with 7-year-old Lubbock girl sentenced to 40 years in prison

1 week ago | lubbockonline.com | Gabriel Monte

A 32-year-old man believed to be from Honduras, who was hit with a vehicle by his ex-girlfriend after she caught him in bed with her 7-year-old daughter, was sentenced to 40-years in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting the girl. Delmer Orlando Licona-Ortiz appeared May 14 in the 137th District Court and pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first degree-felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison.
Lubbock, Amarillo massage parlors among 8 shut down in human trafficking investigation

1 week ago | lubbockonline.com | Gabriel Monte

Eight West Texas massage parlors owned by the same business entities were shut down temporarily by State officials as investigators say they found evidence of prostitution and human trafficking at the sites. A six-month emergency closure order was issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation officials for the parlors owned by Tongfuxin LLC and Tongfu LLC, in Amarillo, Cleburne, Kerrville, Lubbock, Midland and Odessa, according to a department news release.
Why did Cornelius Harper murder his cellmate five years ago? Learn more

2 weeks ago | amarillo.com | Kristina Solem Wood |Gabriel Monte

A 38-year-old convicted murderer, Cornelius Harper, was handed on Monday a second life sentence without parole for the beating death of his Clements Unit cellmate five years ago, according to a news release from the Texas Special Prosecutors Unit,Cornelius Harper told investigators that he was on a holy mission to purge those he saw as “defective," the release states.
Lubbock man accused in fentanyl overdose death charged with murder

2 weeks ago | lubbockonline.com | Mateo Rosiles |Gabriel Monte

Donnie Ford Jr. is the first person charged with murder in Lubbock County under a new Texas law addressing the fentanyl crisis. He is accused of providing fentanyl pills that caused the overdose death of 38-year-old Denise Vargas in September. The charge stems from a Lubbock police investigation and a subsequent undercover operation. Texas House Bill 6, passed in 2023, allows for murder charges against those who provide fentanyl resulting in death.
Man gets 15 years in prison for deadly Lubbock drive-by, second shooting

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Gabriel Monte

A 22-year-old man was sentenced Monday to 15 years prison after admitting to two unrelated shootings in September 2021, including a deadly drive-by shooting. Adam Villarreal, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since April 5, 2022, appeared Monday in the 140th District Court and pleased guilty to a count of aggravated assault from a moving vehicle in connection with the Sept. 1, 2021 fatal drive-by shooting of 30-year-old Domingo Siri.
Group seeks answers for family of Tech student killed in Lubbock deputy involved shooting

3 weeks ago | lubbockonline.com | Gabriel Monte

A group of about 20 protesters gathered at the southeast corner of the intersection of Broadway and Texas Avenue, waving signs and yelling chants that bore the name of Erskin Jenkins, a 20-year-old Texas Tech student from Montgomery, who was shot and killed in November by a Lubbock County Sheriff's deputy responding to what documents describe as a hostage situation at an early Thanksgiving celebration at a home in Wolfforth.
Lubbock man accused of beating dog sentenced to 10 months in jail

3 weeks ago | lubbockonline.com | Gabriel Monte

A 56-year-old man arrested in November after witnesses told police they saw him beating a dog in public was sentenced Tuesday to 10 months in jail. Michael Aytes appeared in court via internet conference from the Lubbock County Detention Center, where he has been held since his Nov. 30 arrest, and entered a plea of guilty to a count of attempted cruelty to non-livestock animals. The offense is a state jail felony that carries a punishment of six months to two years in jail.
Records reveal new details, club-like weapon used in deadly west Lubbock attack

4 weeks ago | lubbockonline.com | Gabriel Monte

A 49-year-old man remained jailed Friday after he was arrested this week in connection with an investigation into the January beating death of a 52-year-man at a home in west Lubbock. Jonathan Abare was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on a count of murder in the death of Clinton Boadie Park, whose body was found Jan. 22 in a home in the 1500 block of North County Road 1430.
Man indicted on murder charge after deadly Lubbock club shooting

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Gabriel Monte

A Lubbock County grand jury has indicted a 22-year-old man accused in the shooting death of a 38-year-old man last month at a north Lubbock club's parking lot. Victor Yanez is charged with murder in the April 14 death of Joshua Rios at the the El Santiago Club parking lot in the 1800 block of Clovis Road. He was indicted Tuesday.