Wild Pursuit in Odessa Ends with Multi-Charge Burglary Arrest
In a late-night drama that crossed city limits, Odessa Police Department (OPD) and Ector County Sheriff’s deputies teamed up to apprehend a suspect allegedly involved in a business burglary and a subsequent vehicle chase, culminating in the recovery of a stolen car and the discovery of illegal narcotics.
The incident began in the early morning hours of Saturday, November 29, when OPD officers responded to a reported break-in at Barron Paint, located on East 2nd Street. Investigators determined that a subject had forced his way into the business and stolen a set of keys belonging to a company vehicle, specifically a white Ford Escape. The immediate alert put law enforcement on the lookout for the stolen SUV.
It didn’t take long for the quick-thinking of a patrolling officer to pay off. An OPD unit spotted the stolen Ford Escape near the intersection of University and Golder. When the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the driver allegedly ignored the emergency lights, kicking off a high-speed pursuit.
The chase quickly escalated, leading officers outside city limits and bringing the Ector County Sheriff’s Office into the fray. The chase finally came to an abrupt end when the suspect crashed the vehicle in the 400 block of West 57th Street. The driver, identified as 36-year-old Joel Lopez Ortega Jr. of Jal, New Mexico, was taken into custody.
The situation compounded for Ortega upon arrest. Not only was he allegedly the man responsible for the initial burglary and the dangerous police evasion, but officers also found him in possession of controlled substances. Ortega was reportedly carrying both methamphetamine and fentanyl pills when he was apprehended. After being read his rights, police say he admitted to burglarizing the business, stealing the car, and evading the officers.
Ortega now faces a laundry list of felony charges, including burglary of a building, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, and two separate counts of possession of a controlled substance. He was transported to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center and is being held on a combined bond of $42,000.
This incident comes as local authorities in Odessa continue their efforts to curb property crimes. Statistics show that the city’s property crime rate remains higher than the national average, making offenses like burglary and vehicle theft a constant concern for residents and businesses. Vehicle theft, in particular, carries a high cost to the community. Furthermore, the drug possession charges underscore a worrying local trend: the Odessa Police Department’s official crime data has recently indicated an increase in “Crimes Against Society,” a category that includes narcotics offenses, which are often the result of proactive police work like that seen in this investigation.
The successful operation highlighted the crucial coordination between local agencies. The Odessa Police Department was quick to publicly acknowledge and thank the Ector County Sheriff’s Office for their instrumental assistance in the successful resolution of the pursuit and arrest.