Just before 1 a.m. Sunday DPS Trooper Troy Phipps was patrolling Interstate 45 North when a Kia Rio passed him in excess of 90 mph and driving erratically Phipps attempted to stop the vehicle but upon seeing the emergency lights accelerated. The vehicle exited at FM 1488 and then re-entered the freeway.
As they approached Crighton Road the vehicle struck the concrete wall, cut through the grassy median and continued northbound on the feeder.
The pursuit continued into the streets of Conroe. At one point the vehicle cut through a parking lot striking a dumpster but as he re-entered the roadway came close to hitting another vehicle. That’s when one of the troopers was able to cut him off striking the troopers vehicle instead of the other person. The damage from that impact was minimal as the chase continued winding through the streets of Conroe.
When the pursuit got to Phillips and 10th other troopers also joined in the pursuit realized they were at a point where there were no homes and open fields on both sides of the road. Fearing the vehicle would continue down Phillips into a heavily populated area Trooper Phipps fired his weapon three times at close range striking the rear of the vehicle and puncturing a tire.
The driver identified as Raymon Aguilar Jr., 53 of 16557 Emmerson Circle in Conroe was taken into custody.
Aguilar has a history with law enforcement. In 1989 he was arrested in Brownsville for theft of a motor vehicle. That same year he was arrested for burglary of a habitation in Edinburg, Texas. In 1985 he was arrested again for bigamy in Raymondville, Texas. Another burglary of a habitation charge was lodged against him in 1987 in Raymondville.
Then in 1989 Aguilar was convicted of Capital Murder in Harlingen. For that charge he was given a life sentence.
Aguilar is now residing in the Montgomery County Jail on a charge of DWI and evading arrest.
According to Texas Department of Pardons and Parole Aguilar’s crime was in 1989 which fell under the Texas 70th Legislature rulings. At that time a person was eligible for parole after he completed 1/4 of his calendar time. With a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 15 years. A life sentence was considered 40 years at the time.
During the time this happened Texas Department of Criminal Justice was in one of the worst over crowding situations ever. With no money to fix the problem sentences were adjusted. At time they called the the “revolving door “.
That changed in 1993 when Governor Ann Richards pushed Proposition 14 bond package through and gave TDCJ over $1 billion dollars. Voters passed this bond package under the presumption that it would provide the be-all and end-all solution to their fears concerning the crime epidemic which plagues our cities.
At the time county jails were backlogged with prisoners that the state had no room for. At the time TDCJ held 38,400 prisoners. Still under the thumb of Judge William Wayne Justice the threat of fines amounting to $830,000 a day shut those prison doors. With 27 units all at 95 percent capacity and the doors closed the counties started backing up also. Sheriff’s were turned away with prisoners.
Then Harris County Sheriff Klevenhagen who was also under an overcrowding order since 1971 had inmates sleeping on the floors.
Bexar County Sheriff Copeland threatened to handcuff prisoners to the fences of TDC and drive off.
At present TDCJ has the beds to house additional prisoners but with guards citing poor conditions many are leaving the system. Ann Richards thought building all the new prisons in rural area would help depressed employment. Just a little over a year ago the turn over for guards was close to 40 percent for some units.
In June of 2012 the Connally Unit near Beeville in South Texas closed a dorm with 376 beds due to employee shortages. A month later another 320 were vacant.
The population at the end of 2012 was close to 152,500,
in a survey by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition in partnership with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, 79 percent of correctional officers polled said they felt under-compensated. (The current starting salary for full-time correctional officers is $2,319.05 a month. Veteran officers, those with 90 months on the job, earn more than $3,000 monthly.)
Texas Board of Pardons and Parole now fall under the rulings of the 82nd Legislature which was enacted in 2011. In that capital murder is now 1/2 calendar time with a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 30 years.
http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/documents/parole/PIT_English.pdf
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