A 19-year-old Cleveland man, Anthony Joseph Figueroa, is now facing charges related to a fatal crash that happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 21, in Cleveland. The deceased man, one of two passengers in Figueroa’s vehicle, has been identified as Julio Uribe, 18, also of Cleveland.
The one-vehicle crash happened around 2:24 a.m. Sunday along a frontage road of US 59 North on the north end of Cleveland.
According to Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard, dispatchers received a call Sunday morning that a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy was in pursuit of a vehicle traveling northbound on US 59 at a high rate of speed. The police pursuit came to an end when the speeding vehicle exited the freeway and lost control in a sharp, 90-degree turn, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and travel down a wet grassy embankment.
The vehicle rolled several times, during which Uribe was ejected. Uribe was pronounced deceased at the scene by Liberty County Pct. 6 Justice of the Peace Ralph Fuller. The other passenger in the vehicle was involved and transported to HCA Houston in Cleveland with minor injuries.
After the crash, Figueroa reportedly fled on foot. Law enforcement officers were able to track him to a local address across town where he was later taken into custody and held at Cleveland Police Department’s jail.
On Monday, Figueroa appeared before Judge Fuller for arraignment on a first-degree felony Murder charge. His bond was set at $1.2 million. Figueroa is now being held in the Liberty County Jail.
“Investigators are still questioning why the driver led officers on a high-speed chase that ended in the death of a friend. It’s a very tragic situation and Cleveland Police Department’s prayers and hearts go out to Julio’s family,” said Chief Darrel Broussard.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Cleveland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 281-592-1185.
“Texas DPS Sgt. Barnhill and Trooper McAdoo, both assigned to Montgomery County, did an awesome job helping to bring closure to the case,” Broussard said.
Congratulations Vanesa! I met Vanesa when I was with Cleveland PD in the mid to late 90’s. She was always very professional. I had and still have the utmost respect for her as a journalist. Every scene I was on or knew of her reporting on, she never added to it, took away from or gave her personal opinion. She report the facts, only withholding information required by law enforcement for investigation purposes. A Journalist of Integrity!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I will do my best to continue living up to your opinion of me. 🙂 – Vanesa
Excellent recap of the accident location. As a native of south Liberty County, I often have to refer to a map to understand how Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Harris, and don’t forget Polk County converge around Cleveland.
Using Google Maps and looking out county boundaries, it made sense visually.