Judge Woodward Offers No Leniency, Not Even After Robber Found Jesus

Orlando Govea, 29, of San Angelo started a life of crime at an early age, and began his career behind bars by getting adjudicated for assaulting a police officer as a juvenile. He initially received juvenile probation, but failed to successfully complete it. As a result, he was sent to the Texas Youth Commission, which is now called TJJD.

As a young adult, Govea continued making choices that landed him behind bars, and although he had more than one chance to get things right, he failed to do so.

In June and Oct. 2005, the then 18-year-old Govea was charged with Burglary of a Vehicle and Habitation. In March 2006, he was again charged with the same crime. On Christmas Day in 2008, Govea went from misdemeanor offenses and added an Aggravated Robbery felony to his record. He was charged with Unlawful Carrying of a Firearm in Odessa, and got arrested on a warrant in Aug. 2009.

In 2010, Govea added another Aggravated Robbery to his record in Tom Green County. He originally got probation in that case, but it got revoked and he was sent to prison for five years. Govea wasn’t out of prison long when he reoffended.

Because of this record, the number of chances he received to change his ways, and as a result of another offense during the late night hours of June 5, 2015, and early morning hours of June 6, Govea’s chances ran out. Now, he will spend 40 years of his life behind bars and away from a family who loves him.

Friday afternoon, Govea, in an orange jump suit and chains around his feet, body and hands, walked into the Tom Green County Courthouse to enter into a “guilty” plea for Aggravated Robbery on that stated night. Judge Ben Woodward presided over the hearing, and John Sutton represented the Defendant. Assistant District Attorney Jason Ferguson and Meagan White of the 51st/119th Judicial Districts prosecuted the case.

The First Testimony

On the night of June 5, 2015, Jason Fernandez, a restaurant manager at Fernandez Restaurant, planned to go out with his friend, Amanda Levario, to the Steel Penny Pub, and later, Club El Patron.

“There was a band playing there that night,” Fernandez testified.

At about 1:45 a.m., Fernandez and Levario walked out into the parking lot of El Patron to leave. Fernandez said he had parked his truck close to the door. When they got to the vehicle, Fernandez opened the door for Levario, and she got into the truck. As she was about to close the door, and as Fernandez prepared to go to the driver side, Govea grabbed Fernandez.

“He snuck up on me and had me at knife point,” Fernandez said. “At first, I didn’t know what was happening. I thought we were just [conversing]. I was under the influence, so it took me a while to process what was happening.”

Fernandez said as he turned toward Govea, that’s when he felt the knife brush up against his stomach area.

“When he turned me around, he lowered the knife down here,” Fernandez said motioning to his stomach. “He was very calm. He wasn’t rough.”

Govea wasn’t rough, but he demanded Fernandez to hand over his wallet and whatever else he had.

“He felt my pockets. He got my cell phone, and he ripped my chain off,” Fernandez recalled.

At that point, Levario, from the car, asked what was going on. When Govea headed her way, Fernandez told him not to mess with her, but the man didn’t listen.

Govea opened Levario’s door, reached over her and took her cell phone. He then fled from the scene onto what Fernandez believed to be Irving Street.

“I was in shock. I wasn’t thinking much as it was happening,” Fernandez stated. “He kind of jetted fast.”

Fernandez said he finally yelled for City Marshal John Gonzales, who was working in a personal capacity that night at El Patron. Gonzales, however, only saw Govea’s tail lights, so he called the incident in to dispatch and took down information from Fernandez regarding what took place.

“I did not observe individuals,” Gonzales testified. “I only saw tail lights.”

Levario told the court she originally thought Govea was someone Fernandez knew.

“I thought it was a friend of his playing around,” she told the court.

The Second Incident

That night, Fernandez and Levario weren’t the only ones to encounter Govea. Another victim who testified against the Defendant, Alexa Rocha, said she and her friend were leaving from downtown San Angelo at about 1:30 a.m. when “a man” attempted to rob her.

“I was reverse parked in the area between the Dead Horse Bar and another business. I can’t remember the name,” Rocha testified. “We were getting in the car and making plans to go somewhere else. That’s when he came up to the car. He asked me, ‘Where is it at?’”

After he asked the question, the suspect placed his hand under his shirt, and that’s when Rocha said she knew something was wrong.

“I told him that he needed to get away from my vehicle,” Rocha stated. After she said those words, the victim said the man tried punching at the window and that’s when she proceeded to raise it. Also, a crowd outside started going toward the car when they noticed what was happening, so the suspect fled.

Rocha told the court the man was in a dark blue truck. When San Angelo police arrived shortly after, Rocha said she saw the suspect driving by the area about 5 or 10 minutes later. She told police and that’s when a chase ensued.

When asked if the man had taken anything, Rocha said the suspect never succeeded. Also, when asked how she knew the man was robbing her, she responded, “It just felt that way. He was trying to reach into my car, and to me, that means he was trying to take something from me.”

Additionally, when asked what the man looked like, Rocha said he looked like Mr. Govea; however, she said she could not identify the man in the courtroom Friday, and she described the man as being a 5’6 Hispanic male. Govea is 5’11.

The Chase

SAPD Officer Ethan Thomas said on the night of June 5, he was flagged down in the 200 block of S. Chadbourne St. by several people who said someone needed help.

“I asked them what was going on, and they said someone tried to rob [her],” Thomas told the court.

He said Rocha had identified the man as a Hispanic male wearing a white hat and a white and green Polo shirt.

“She said she thought she knew him at first,” Thomas noted. He was told the suspect was driving an older 1990 Chevrolet pickup that was maroon in color. As he gathered more information, Thomas said he received another call about an incident that happened at El Patron. That was about the time Fernandez reported his incident.

After that call, Thomas said Rocha noticed the suspect driving by and pointed him out. The man was driving northbound on Chadbourne St. toward Twohig, so he and Sgt. Ali Shah got into a patrol car and went after the suspect.

At the intersection of Chadbourne St. and Twohig, the officers turned on their police lights and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle failed to stop. Instead the pickup turned into the parking lot at Fat Boss’s Pub and continued moving. After it passed the parked vehicles in the area, the driver accelerated and entered onto another main street.

Thomas stated that he and Shah continued to chase the suspect. The driver ran a red light close to Shannon Hospital and turned left.

“He was going so fast he lost control of his vehicle,” Thomas said. “He spun out and wrecked.”

Thomas also said after the vehicle came to a stop facing oncoming traffic, the suspect ran toward Shannon Hospital. Thomas and Shah were able to catch him just as he was about to enter the front door.

“We had him at gunpoint about 15 feet at that point,” the officer said.

Thomas verified the man, who they verified as Govea, had on a white hat and a white and green Polo Shirt.

The officer added that he walked the path the suspect took because he noticed Govea’s hands in his pockets. He worried the man was still armed with a knife.

“I was tracing his steps from the truck to the hospital,” Thomas stated.

During his search, Thomas found a credit card and social security card that belonged to Jason Fernandez.

SAPD Officer Clinton Roebuck, who also worked that night as a patrol officer for an outside agency, said he was called out to the scene after Govea wrecked his vehicle.

“The truck was still running and the back tire was folded underneath the axle,” the officer testified.

Roebuck said he went ahead and turned off the truck and noticed a wallet beneath the driver’s side of the door. He checked it for identification. He also said a beer bottle fell out, so he placed it back on the passenger side. His job was to maintain the scene.

When he came upon the suspect, Roebuck said, “Mr. Govea seemed confused about what was going on. He asked me questions, and because he seemed confused about what was going on, I read him his Miranda Rights.”

Roebuck added that Govea told him he was with family that night and the phones found belonged to his cousin.

“He appeared intoxicated, and asked the same questions over and over. He was sporadic,” the officer recalled. “He was under the influence. You could just tell from his speech. It was noticeable.”

When Roebuck asked Govea why he ran, the officer said the man told him he he had warrants for his arrest and had been drinking.

Govea’s Plea

Although Govea pleaded guilty to the offenses against him, and to his previous felony record, the intent of the defense attorney was to fight for deferred adjudication, which would mean probation once more. With his current record, the number of times he failed to complete probation and the previous felonies, the minimum sentence Govea faced was 15 years, and a maximum of 99.

Therefore, after victims and witnesses gave their testimony, Defense Attorney Sutton called Govea to the stand. When he told his side of the story, the Defendant didn’t try to deny what he did to Fernandez, nor did he deny that he ran. He told the court he did so because he had been drinking and had warrants. He denied trying to rob Rocha.

Govea also told the court the reason he committed the crimes he did was because he didn’t care.

“I thought this was my home still, and that’s where I belong,” he said about jail.

However, that was then. Friday, Govea told the court he wanted one more chance to prove he could be a productive citizen, and he owed this change to a woman he started dating when this incident occurred, Sabrina Rojas. In the past 6 months since he has been incarcerated, Govea said his and Rojas relationship has strengthened and turned into something serious.

Thus, Govea said he now has something to fight for.

“I’ve sat back and thought about what I have at stake,” Govea told the court. “She’s been my support since I’ve been in here. I’ve gotten to know her better; she’s gotten to know me better.”

Sutton asked Govea how that was possible, and the Defendant said their relationship was built on conversation. Because of her, he now realizes all the loved ones he has at home.

Govea told the court that he has two daughters and Rojas has five sons.

“I want to be there for my daughters and for her boys to show them there’s a better way,” he said.

Govea also told the court he found God. He noted that he did so previously, but after his grandmother’s death, he was angry at Him and lost his way. Govea said he understands many people in prison find God, but his baptismal has strengthened him and he wants to find his way back to his faith and family.

“I need to be out there; I need to be with them,” he said.

When Sutton asked him what changed from before, Govea said an adult relationship with Rojas changed his views.

He stated, “I feel I can succeed in [society]. It pushes me to strive for what I have out there.”

The Pain of the Family

As the hearing continued, Govea’s family sat in the courtroom. Govea’s sister, who fought to control her tears, had to translate for an older couple. The older man could be seen with his head down and tears in his eyes. At times, the older woman would say, “Ay Dios Mio.” (Oh my God).

Rojas also attended the hearing and was called to the stand after Govea made his case. Like Govea, Rojas told the story of how the couple’s relationship progressed, and through her tears, she said, “He’s been my support. He’s been a part of our life even if it’s over the phone.”

Rojas told the court she believed Govea could change because now he has her, and he has the support he needs not to return to his life of crime.

“He doesn’t want to waste another part of his life. He has us,” she pleaded. “While he’s been sitting by himself, he’s had time to know what he did wrong.”

However, her pleas and Govea’s didn’t have the effect they hoped.

The Final Verdict

In his final statements, Sutton said the State’s argument was to prove Govea has a history of violence, but he asked Judge Woodward to keep an open mind and to remember that jail isn’t just about punishing criminals. It’s also about reform.

“He deserves a chance now that he has something to work for,” Sutton said.

On the other side, Ferguson stated he didn’t believe Guevara deserves any more chances. He has had those chances, and failed time and again.

“He’s had a shot three times and failed,” Ferguson told the Judge. “He had a shot as a juvenile and he failed. He had a shot in Odessa and he failed. Repeatedly, he has shown to be violent against the people here in the community.”

Not only that, but Ferguson reminded the judge that Govea assaulted a public servant, and he endangered four people and individuals on the road when he fled from police. The Assistant D.A. then brought up all the Defendant’s charges over the years.

“The options are really 40 or 99 years,” Ferguson stated. “He has shown a commitment to random violence, and it was random. It could have been anybody, and he doesn’t care. He has shown this repeatedly over the years.”

After their final remarks, Judge Woodward went into his chambers to weigh his decision, and at approximately 5:30 p.m., after three hours of victim, witness, and the Defendant’s testimony, the Judge maintained Govea’s guilty plea verdict and gave his final answer.

“Mr. Govea, I’ve listened to the evidence. I’m sorry, but you have a long record of making the wrong choices,” said Woodward. “I’d like to give you another chance, but I can’t”

With that, Judge Woodward sentenced Govea to 40 years in prison and declared his right to appeal within 30 days. As he delegated that sentence, sobs from Govea’s family filled the courtroom and the Defendant stared straight ahead.

The Judge finalized by telling Govea, “You’re baptized. You found God. I trust that, and I don’t doubt that. Hold on to that faith while you’re in there.”

As the family walked out of the room sobbing, Govea looked back at his family and his sister said, “I love you!”

Rojas fled the building in tears.

In his official statement, Assistant D.A. Ferguson said San Angelo is seeing more violent crime in the community, and Govea had a history of violent offenses in San Angelo. Despite being given several chances over the years, the young man continued to be a danger.

He said, “I want to applaud the San Angelo Police Department for acting so quickly and capturing this Defendant as he attempted to flee in his vehicle, eventually trying to escape into Shannon Hospital. They were able to capture him, arrest him, and ultimately today, he was held accountable for his dangerous and violent actions.”