Juarez Police Officer Convicted in Kimble County for Driving Stolen Truck

JUNCTION, TX — A former officer with the Juarez Police Department was convicted last week in Kimble County for driving a stolen pickup truck through Texas.

Following a bench trial on July 18, 2025, 37-year-old Andres Ricardo Ontiveros Pulido was found guilty of Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, a felony offense. Visiting Judge Penny Roberts sentenced Ontiveros to one year in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice State Jail Division and ordered him to pay over $10,000 in restitution. He will be deported to Mexico after serving his sentence.

According to the Kimble County Sheriff’s Office, Ontiveros was stopped on January 29, 2024, while driving a stolen 2021 Chevrolet Silverado on Interstate 10. Deputies received a system notification that the vehicle, stolen in San Antonio, had entered the county. Ontiveros, an 11-year veteran of the Juarez Police, was behind the wheel.

The truck had been stolen from a hotel parking lot while the owner was attending his daughter’s volleyball tournament. Law enforcement officials said the thieves disabled the horn and OnStar system before cutting into the wheel well and breaking the driver’s side lock. When recovered, the truck was stripped of its contents, including work equipment and children’s toys.

At trial, expert testimony detailed the role of Mexico-based auto theft rings in targeting vehicles across Texas and smuggling them across the border. Authorities say the stolen vehicles are often used by cartels for weapons transport and other criminal activity.

Kimble County District Attorney Tonya Spaeth Ahlschwede thanked local law enforcement for their efforts and said her office remains committed to combating cross-border organized crime.