CONROE – A Montgomery County Jury in the 284th District Court of Judge Cara Woods took only 30 minutes to return a guilty verdict on Wednesday in the trial of Manuel Pablo Mutz, who was charged with delivery of cocaine. The Mexican National was in the US on a work visa and had a prior DWI conviction.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit arrested Mutz on Aug. 26, 2008 after he delivered cocaine to an undercover officer in the parking lot of the Walmart located near the intersection of Interstate 45 and College Park Drive, according to testimony.
The prosecution called to the stand Lt. Philip Cash, the SIU supervisor and Sgt. Stewart Hightower, with the Montgomery Police Department, who was part of the SIU as a cooperative agreement between the MCSO and that agency at the time of Mutz’s arrest.
Cash and Hightower testified that based on information from a confidential informant, the SIU investigated Mutz’s reported cocaine dealing as he visited bars and “adult entertainment establishments” along I-45 in South Montgomery County driving a Mercedes Benz.
The further stated that Mutz sold narcotics to an undercover officer on more than one occasion and such was the case when Mutz was arrested with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who were involved because his immigrant status was in question.
Mutz, 35, listed his address as 7222 Sonnett Glen in Houston. He was free on bond prior to his conviction on Wednesday when his bond was revoked. He subsequently entered a plea of guilty to a second delivery of a controlled substance charge stemming from a similar incident around the time of the offense that was the subject of the trial.
Mutz has not been sentenced on either charge.
On April 12, 2005, Mutz pleaded guilty to Driving While Intoxicated in Harris County Court at Law 6 and was sentenced to 3 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
