Previously Deported Man Kills Moffett Road Resident In Accident

The Angelina County Sheriff's Office got a call early this morning, around 6:45 AM. A car had crashed into a house on FM 842 in the Moffett area.

Amazingly, when Sheriff's deputies and state troopers arrived on the scene, the caller had been correct. They found that a car had driven right through the house and fled. 

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Moffett Area Home Owner Killed In Crash

Robert Boles, 70, lived at the residence and was found dead at the scene.

The truck hit him while driving through the house. A bed is visible in the photos below.

Damaged Truck Found Miles Away

The vehicle was later found to be an older model Chevrolet pickup truck. It was traveling north on FM 842.

The truck went off-road in a curve, hit a tree, and crashed right through Mr. Boles' home. State Troopers and Texas Rangers started an investigation and quickly found the perpetrator.

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They followed the trail of debris left behind by the truck and located it three miles away at a home on Wilkerson Road. The perpetrator had disguised the wrecked vehicle with a tarp and pulled another truck behind it, obscuring it from view.

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The front of the vehicle was badly damaged, and the windshield was completely smashed. Mail from the scene of the accident was located at the home.

Suspect In Hit And Run Quickly Found And Arrested

Investigators found out that Jorge Urbina Lopez lived at the Wilkerson Road house. They believed he was the driver of the truck.

Surveillance video from a nearby store showed Lopez and the pickup truck about five minutes before the crash. Texas Rangers obtained a search warrant for the house on Wilkerson Road, and officers went inside to look for Lopez.

Lopez was not there, so they collected evidence and took the damaged truck into evidence. Then deputies and troopers found a home on FM 842 that had ties to Lopez.

Upon making contact at the home, the residents told officers Lopez was inside. Officers searched the house and quickly found him partially hiding under a bed.

He resisted, but was quickly taken into custody at around 12:45 PM.

Suspect Had Warrants, Immigration Review

Lopez had more than ten old traffic tickets and had been arrested many times before. He was taken to the Angelina County Jail and held on old warrants, while awaiting new charges for leaving the scene of a crash involving a death.

Investigators found that Lopez had been deported from the United States before. His current immigration status is under review by immigration officials.