Violent Drug Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

LUBBOCK,TX – On Tuesday, a Lubbock man facing a murder charge along with several other charges took a plea deal.

According to official documents, in March 2016, the Lubbock Police were surveying a hotel room for an undercover drug deal. The suspect, Jonathan Lovato, was witnessed taking things from the room and trying to escape in his car.

As officers tried to stop him, Lovato sped off into oncoming traffic. While evading arrest, Lovato ran a red light and collided with a maroon Ford Mustang. The owner of the Mustang, Dung Ngoc Tran, 54, was killed and several other vehicles were damaged. Some of those drivers went to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Officers found that Lovato had 118 grams of methamphetamine and a handgun in his waistband.

Lovato pleaded guilty to federal charges for a meth distribution conspiracy in November 2016.

Lovato was sentenced to 40 years in prison for possession of a controlled substance and ten years for having a firearm as a convicted felon. The other charges Lovato had were murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and evading arrest which were all dropped.

Lovato is currently being held in Lubbock County Detention Center.