Why This San Angelo Man was Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo man with a history of running from police or attacking them when caught was sentenced by a district judge in San Angelo to 75 years in prison after a jury found him guilty.

Leroy Anthony Enriquez, 31, weighed in at the Tom Green County Jail at 128 pounds, but he has a notorious record of evading arrest and resisting arrest. He was even arrested once for trying to take a police officer’s handgun in a scuffle.

In the case that was tried, Enriquez was found guilty of assaulting San Angelo Police Officer Eduardo Chavarria. The episode on Feb. 26, 2018 started when Officer Chavarria asked Enriquez to produce identification. A citizen complained Enriquez was unwanted on their property on Avenue A.

Instead of producing a driver’s license, Enriquez reached for his waistband and Officer Chavarria feared he was going for a handgun or other weapon. A struggle ensued where Officer Chavarria attempted to handcuff Enriquez for his safety.

The officer reported that there was another firearm in the garage in plain sight, heightening the urgency and suspicion Enriquez was going to pull a weapon on the officer.

The fight between Enriquez and Officer Chavarria moved from a garage and into the backyard where the Enriquez gained some advantage by making some quick moves. Enriquez attempted to choke the officer before fleeing on foot.

After he fled, he was later arrested across the river in the Bosque.

This was not the first time Enriquez fled from police or placed police officers danger. In 2008, he was arrested and later convicted of evading arrest in a vehicle. During this incident late one night, he sped in a car at a high rate of speed towards two parked police cars with his headlights turned off. He was later apprehended and the police reported then that Enriquez was too intoxicated to complete a field sobriety test, court records state.

In January 2014, Enriquez escaped detention while police were investigating an incident. A police officer chased him and caught him attempting to climb a fence. According to court documents, when the police officer was attempting to pull Enriquez down from the fence, Enriquez reached with both hands for the officer’s handgun, attempting to take it from the officer.

Later that night, Enriquez was taken to San Angelo Community Medical Center for injuries. While in custody getting an X-ray, he was able to escape and ran from the hospital with police in pursuit. He was found hiding in the Glazer’s parking lot and arrested a short time later.

For all that, he was sentenced to three years in prison in a plea deal in 2014.

By May 2016, Enriquez was out of prison on parole when was accused of stealing merchandise from the Lowe’s on N. Bryant. When a police officer confronted him and attempted to detain him as a suspect, Enriquez fled on foot but was apprehended on MLK Blvd. a short while later.

Today’s trial, originally scheduled for three days in Judge Carmen Dusek’s courtroom, ended this afternoon and went to a jury. Assistant DAs Jason Ferguson and Sara Reyes were the prosecutors. The jury swiftly returned a verdict of guilty on all counts.

The defendant elected to have the judge, not the jury, determine his punishment. Judge Carmen Dusek sentenced Enriquez to 75 years in prison. Should Enriquez live that long, he will be 106 years old when he completes his sentence.