Brownwood Meth Dealer Flees Courthouse During Trial

BROWNWOOD, TX – A Brownwood man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after he fled the courtroom mid-trial on Wednesday. 

On Dec. 26, 2016 Jamie Arredondo was arrested after a traffic stop by Brownwood Police discovered 6 grams of methamphetamine. After the arrest he was charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.

Arredondo's charges were enhanced after police raided his home and found 1.5 lbs of meth that he was planning to distribute to more than 50 drug dealers in the city. This drug bust was the largest drug bust in Brownwood's history.

He was indicted in February and his court date was set for March 13. According to the Brownwood Bulletin, prosecutor Elisha Bird presented evidence of Arredondo’s criminal past and asked jurors to consider a sentence of 40 or more years. Both the defense and the prosecution had rested their case when Arredondo felt that he had enough of the trial and fled the scene.

Police found him the following morning asleep inside of a relatives home. “He woke up, numerous offices surrounding him. It was probably a rude awakening," said Brownwood Police Chief Terry Nichols. "It was very uneventful. It was like ‘hey. Get your hands up. Get your hands out.’ We put him him in handcuffs.”

Arredondo was sentenced in absentia to 60 years in prison. Police say that a family member of Arredondo may have charges pressed against them.