Fatal head-on crash involving 18-wheeler claims life of Odessa driver
ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A 45-year-old Odessa man was killed in a two-vehicle crash early Friday morning on Loop 338.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the crash occurred at around 4:20 a.m. on June 6 at the intersection of Loop 338 and US Highway 385, just outside Odessa city limits.
Preliminary details from DPS investigators indicate that a 2023 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by Raymund Gabriel Rodriguez of Odessa, was traveling eastbound on Loop 338 when, for unknown reasons, it veered into the westbound lane. The Equinox then collided head-on with a 2016 Freightliner Cascade pulling a trailer.
Rodriguez was wearing a seatbelt but was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi, 46-year-old Michael Gonzalez Diaz of Miami, Florida, was not injured.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details have been released.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gun used in Hazleton homicide was collateral for loans
Jun. 11—WILKES-BARRE — The firearm used in the December 2020 fatal shooting of Ashokkumar Patel was never recovered, and prosecutors conveyed to a Luzerne County jury Wednesday how they believe homicide suspect Jafet De Jesus Rodriguez managed to obtain the weapon. Angel Luis Rivera, deemed a material witness, told the jury he obtained a Glock firearm as collateral for a loan he gave to another man. Rivera then told the jury he was in need of cash and gave the Glock to Rodriguez, 44, as collateral in October 2020, about two months before Patel was killed during a robbery at Craig's Food Mart on West Broad Street, Hazleton, on Dec. 12, 2020. Rivera called himself a friend of Rodriguez, whom he also worked for at Rodriguez's car wash and auto-detailing garage on East Diamond Avenue in Hazleton. Hesitant to testify at times when questioned by Luzerne County specially assigned Assistant District Attorney Drew McLaughlin, Rivera explained he loaned another man money and took the Glock firearm as collateral. Sometime in October 2020, Rivera said he needed money to pay rent and used the Glock as collateral for cash given to him by Rodriguez. Rivera further said he gave the gun case to Rodriguez's then-girlfriend. On cross-examination, Rodriguez's co-defense lawyer, Joseph F. Sklarosky Sr., reviewed a transcript of Rivera's interview with Hazleton City police detectives after Patel was fatally shot, indicating many inconsistencies between Rivera's direct testimony and his interview with detectives. During the interview, Rivera talked about a Beretta handgun being used as collateral for money loans but Sklarosky Sr. pointed out from the transcript that a detective corrected Rivera the firearm was a Glock. At one point, Sklarosky Sr., who is co-defending Rodriguez with Attorney Michael A. Sklarosky, asked Rivera: "Didn't you rob Craig's market and kill Mr. Patel?" Sklarosky Sr. asked, resulting in an immediate objection by McLaughlin, which was sustained by Judge Michael T. Vough. Sklarosky Sr. further got Rivera to admit he fled the Hazleton area after Patel was killed only to be found in Philadelphia, resulting in a material witness declaration by Vough in August 2024. McLaughlin and Assistant District Attorney Gerry Scott introduced a transcript from a jailhouse phone call between Rodriguez and a woman where Rodriguez discussed a stove. Detectives in court records and previous testimony say they found a red sweatshirt, gloves and a face mask in a garbage bag hidden inside a stove at Rodriguez's car wash and auto-detailing garage. Surveillance video of the fatal shooting, which was shown to the jury Tuesday, showed the gunman wore a red sweatshirt and concealed his face and head with a face mask and hood of the sweatshirt. McLaughlin told the jury during his opening statement that Patel's blood was found on the sweatshirt. To counter the blood on the sweatshirt, Michael Sklarosky during his opening statement told the jury Rodriguez's DNA was not found on the sweatshirt, gloves and face mask found in the stove. Rodriguez is facing trial on an open count of criminal homicide, robbery and theft. Testimony continues Wednesday afternoon. Featured Local Savings Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three men arrested for allegedly soliciting prostitution in Holyoke sting
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Three men were arrested Monday following a Holyoke police 'John' sting within the city. ATV rider arrested after crashing into Holyoke police cruiser The Holyoke Police Department states that on Monday, undercover law enforcement officers posed as prostitutes during a sting operation. This operation is an effort to address quality of life issues in Holyoke. It aims to deter men from soliciting prostitution and to combat the demand for commercial sexual exploitation. At 12:30 p.m., 53-year-old Luis Lopez-Rodriguez of Chicopee drove into the area where the operation was taking place and offered the undercover officer cash for a sexual act. Lopez-Rodriguez was placed under arrest on Elm Street near the intersection of Cabot Street. At around 2:30 p.m., 52-year-old Rufus Rushins of Chicopee also drove into the area and offered the officer cash for a sexual act. He was stopped and arrested near the intersection of Appleton and Chestnut Streets. At 4:55 p.m., 80-year-old Kazem Rahmani of Amherst was stopped near the intersection of Beech and Suffolk Streets and was also arrested for offering cash to an officer for a sexual act. All three men were charged with sexual conduct for a fee. Members of the Holyoke Police Detective Bureau, Holyoke Police Narcotics/Vice Unit, Massachusetts State Police Special Services Section HRVS and VCAT, along with Hampden County SPDU, MSP Gang Unit West, and Hampden County Sheriff's Department were involved in the operation. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dover votes out councilman facing assault cases; Kelley wins Rockaway rematch in primary
Residents of Dover and Rockaway Township appear to have voted for change in the June 10 primary, with each town seeing incumbent council members lose their bids for re-election. In Dover, that included Councilman Sergio Rodriguez, who faces assault charges related to three separate incidents in town but who has kept the backing of Mayor James Dodd and the local Democratic party. Preliminary, unofficial results from the Morris County Clerk's Office Tuesday show Rodriguez and two fellow council incumbents, all Democrats aligned with Dodd, trailing the opposition. The winners will be heavily favored in the majority Democratic town to win office in November. In Rockaway Township, meanwhile, former Ward 6 Councilman Tucker Kelley appears to have a comfortable lead in his rematch with Rachael Brookes, the incumbent who knocked him out of office in 2021. Final tallies are likely to change as late-arriving mail and provisional ballots are counted. County clerks in New Jersey have until June 23 to certify primary election results. The most notable loss appears to be in Dover's Ward 2, where Rodriguez sought a second term. The 30-year-old has been dogged by legal charges over the past year following confrontations with homeless men he accused of drinking alcohol in public. On Tuesday night, he conceded his loss to Judith Rugg, a former council member who Rodriguez defeated in 2023. Rodriguez trailed Rugg by almost 2-1, 214 votes to 112. She had the highest vote total of all primary candidates in town. Rugg, a career nurse, described her victory as "both humbling and surreal." "This victory belongs to Dover, to the volunteers, families, and neighbors who believed that we needed change," she said. "I will work diligently to make you proud, ensuring that every decision I make reflects the needs and voices of our entire community. Our town has faced challenges under current leadership, but change is coming." Rodriguez congratulated Rugg in a Facebook post, telling the voters, "Serving as your councilman over the past year has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my life." "I poured my heart into this role and took the responsibility very seriously every single day," he wrote. "My goal throughout this journey was not only to serve, but to redefine what public service could look like. I wanted to show that the position of council member can, and should, be used as a force for good. I know I raised the bar for what's expected of a public servant, and I leave with peace knowing that whoever fills these shoes next will have to work harder, be more present, and care just as deeply." Dodd called on Rodriguez to resign after the third set of charges were filed against his former running mate. But the mayor reversed course and backed his protege earlier this year, eventually convincing the council to authorize $35,000 to pay for Rodriguez's legal defense. Dodd said in April that his colleagues actions "weren't in his best judgement,. But he said Rodriguez was "acting in his capacity as a councilman" during the incidents and deserved to be represented. Rugg came into office with former Mayor Carolyn Blackman in 2019, but lost her seat four years later to Dodd's "Rescue Dover" slate of Democrats, including Rodriguez. Pleas from her Ward 2 neighbors pushed her back into the race, she said before this year's primary. "I believe in the truth," she said. "We don't know how this will turn out, but he was not being challenged on the ballot, and I thought that was wrong." More: Morris County election results: Parsippany mayor survives primary; Dover incumbents trail In Ward 1 in Dover, former Board of Education President Daniella Mendez held a tight, 168-147 vote lead over incumbent Claudia Toro in preliminary results. The nasty campaign included Dodd, in support of Toro, and Mendez trading personal attacks via social media in the days leading up to the primary. Mendez, the first trans woman elected as president of a New Jersey public school district, thanked supporters in a Facebook post on primary night. "While the results are still too close to call tonight, we remain hopeful and proud of the campaign we built together," she wrote. In Dover's Ward 3, another Dodd ally, Michael Scarneo, was trailing Christopher Almada, 189-121. In Ward 4, Dodd-backed incumbent Arturo Santana was unchallenged, receiving 120 votes. Another reversal was seen in Rockaway Township's Ward 6, where Kelley has a 447-263 lead in the Republican primary over incumbent Rachael Brookes. She knocked Kelley out of office by 96 votes four years ago. "It was a grassroots campaign where we connected with voters by knocking on their doors," Kelley said Tuesday night. "Over 600 doors to connect with those people, and listen to their ideas and suggestions. I think it paid off." Kelley moves on to a general-election race against Democrat Michael Fluhr, who was unchallenged in the Democratic primary. The Rockaway Township council is bipartisan, with the GOP holding a 7-2 majority. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Dover councilman Sergio Rodriguez loses primary after assault charges
