The Lamb County Courthouse saw its first criminal trial of the year on July 17th and 18th, as the 154th District Court held a jury trial that began Wednesday afternoon, when the jury was selected, with testimony heard Tuesday morning, and a final verdict Thursday afternoon.
Prosecutor for Lamb County and the State of Texas was County and District Attorney Rickie Redman, along with her law clerk, Ryder Needham. The Defendant, Jose F.
Ramirez, Jr., 44, of Littlefield, was represented by Lorna Wolcott of Lubbock.
Ramirez was indicted by a Lamb County Grand Jury for the offense of Evading Arrest/Detention with a Vehicle for his role in a vehicle pursuit that occurred August 16, 2023, in Littlefield. The State called two witnesses to prove its case.
The first witness was Sgt. Shane Martinez of the Littlefield Police Department. He told jurors how nearly a year ago, while conducting a “high visibility” patrol in the city, Police received a call from Ramirez. Ramirez explained he knew he had warrants for his arrest, and that officers were looking for him. Ramirez said he was going to a local store and then would be headed home. Sgt. Martinez and Sgt. Steve Dekraker observed Ramirez driving north on Phelps Ave. Soon after, Sgt. Martinez notified other officers in a marked patrol unit to respond to the area.
The next witness was Officer Joshua Padgett, also of the Littlefield Police Department. Padgett confirmed the information provided by Sgt. Martinez and told jurors about the additional observations he made of Ramirez’s driving behavior. Shortly after encountering Ramirez on Phelps Avenue, Padgett saw Ramiez commit multiple traffic violations. He also explained why officers had a legal basis to conduct a traffic stop on Ramirez.
Both Padgett and Martinez described a slow-speed chase that went through a residential portion of Littlefield near Phelps Avenue, and ultimately ended on Waylon Jennings Boulevard. They talked to jurors about how, with the assistance of Lt. Samuel Garica, a safe traffic stop was ultimately accomplished after several minutes of officers trying to get Ramirez to pull over.
No other evidence was presented, and jurors were excused for a lunch break while the Judge and attorneys worked on the Court’s charge. When the jury returned at noon, Judge Scott Say read the charge to them, before each side of the case (prosecution and defense) made their closing arguments to the jury.
At 12:22 p.m., the District Judge excused the jury and sent them to deliberate. The jury announced it had reached its guilty verdict approximately nine minutes later, at 12:31 p.m. Because Ramirez had elected for the jury to assess his punishment, the case then proceeded to punishment. Redman presented 7 judgments of conviction against Ramirez, explaining to jurors that he had a long criminal history that included one prior incarceration in prison. Ramirez entered a plea of “true” to the habitual offender enhancement. The State then rested its punishment case, and Wolcott called two of Ramirez’s teenaged daughters to testify. Both described Ramirez as a “girl dad” whom they love very much.
After closing arguments in the punishment case, jurors were sent again to deliberate, this time to determine an appropriate sentence of punishment. The charged of- fense for which Ramirez was convicted is a third-degree felony; it carries a range of punishment from two years to ten years in prison. Because Ramirez admitted the State’s punishment enhancement was true, his punishment range increased to two to twenty years. Jurors left the courtroom at approximately 2:45 p.m. They alerted the bailiff they had a verdict at 3:31 p.m.
Pursuant to the jury’s verdict, District Judge Say sentenced Ramirez to serve fourteen years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Institutional Division, and to pay a $10,000 fine. He was given credit for the six days jail he served in the case upon his arrest last year.
Redman wishes to express her sincerest thanks to the jurors for their careful consideration of the evidence in the case, and the seriousness with which they approached the daunting task of assessing punishment, as well.
Additionally, she remarked, “we are thankful this vehicle pursuit ended peacefully, without any injury to the Defendant, innocent bystanders, or especially our police officers.” The prosecutor hopes the quick verdict from the jury, and the punishment they assessed, will send a message that this crime is taken seriously and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, to ensure the safety of Lamb County residents and defense of the rule of law in our community. She also is very thankful to the Littlefield Police Department, for their handling of the case.