Two Men Taken into Custody in Judge Walther’s Courtroom Friday

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Two San Angelo men landed in jail Friday after appearing in 51st District Court before Judge Barbara Walther.  

41-year-old Michael Ojeda was there for a pretrial hearing and was expecting to walk out the front door of the courthouse free until his trial date, but there was a problem. Judge Walther told Ojeda’s attorney Ray Leifeste that his client had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failure to appear in court.  

Leifeste and the prosecuting attorney and Judge Walther conferred about the warrant.  Ojeda had paid a bond to get out of jail on a Driving While Intoxicated charge and thought he paid the bond for the failure to appear charge at the same time.  Court records showed that was not the case, and Leifeste asked Walther for a personal recognisance bond so Ojeda could leave the courthouse.

In the end, Judge Walther said the failure to appear bond had not been paid and the bailiff handcuffed Ojeda and took him into custody.  Walther did reduce the bond amount from $20,000 to $5,000, but Ojeda was taken across the street and booked into the Tom Green County jail.  Ojeda was in court for a pretrial hearing for felony Driving While Intoxicated three or more.

The other man handcuffed in Walther’s courtroom Friday was 26-year-old Ethan Paul Gifford.  Gifford was in court for a plea hearing and was expecting to be taken into custody. He was on deferred adjudication for an assault family violence charge when he got another felony assault family violence charge.  Gifford pleaded guilty and accepted a plea deal that sends him to state prison for four years. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

28-year-old Alejos Muniz was allowed to leave Judge Walther’s courtroom and walk free out the front door of the courthouse.  Muniz was charged with arson with the intent to damage a habitat or place of worship. Court records show he is accused of starting a fire in a residence.  Muniz’s attorney Rudy Taylor and assistant District Attorney Tiffany Sheppard reached a plea deal that puts Muniz on deferred adjudication for ten years. He was facing five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.  

40-year-old Bianca Gutierrez was in Walther’s court for a plea hearing as well.  Randol Stout, Gutierrez’ attorney, and Sheppard reached a plea deal on two felony counts of manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.  Testimony shows Gutierrez was married to a man who is serving a multi-year sentence for the same charges and she was present but not involved in the crimes.  The plea agreement puts Gutierrez on deferred adjudication for ten years and she was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $180 in restitution. The agreement also includes forfeiting her husband’s vehicle.