Breckenridge man sentenced to 20 years in prison for case involving high-speed chase
By Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan
Randy Guerra, 33, was found guilty of evading arrest and sentenced to 20 years in prison during a jury trial held this week in the 90th Judicial District Court in the Stephens County courthouse. Guerra was also tried for assaulting a peace office but was found not guilty on that charge.
According to Stephens County District Attorney Dee Peavy, in addition to receiving a guilty verdict for evading arrest, Guerra’s punishment was enhanced because he had a prior felony conviction, and he was sentenced to the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.
Additionally, Peavy said. the court also made a finding that the manner and use of the automobile during the chase was a considered a deadly weapon.
“What’s significant about a deadly weapon finding is that you have to serve 50 percent of your sentence before you’re eligible for parole if there’s a deadly weapon finding in your judgment,” she said. “… And when you’re driving a vehicle like that over 100 miles an hour and people are chasing you, that could produce serious bodily injury or death. And so they made a deadly weapon finding, and that’s what affects his parole time.”
Guerra was arrested on Wednesday evening, Nov. 19, 2020, following a high-speed car chase that began in Shackelford County and ended in a Breckenridge neighborhood.
According to reports from the law enforcement officers involved, the incident started in Shackelford County when a deputy there tried to stop a vehicle that was speeding. The ensuing chase crossed into Stephens County. The driver evaded the spike strips placed on West Walker Street, and eventually his tires were shot out on South Harding Street in west Breckenridge.
As he continued to try and avoid being arrested, the driver hit a Stephens County Sheriff’s Office vehicle. After traveling across Walker Street onto North Harding, the vehicle stopped and the driver fled. The passenger was immediately taken into custody without incident. The driver was arrested a short time later after a nearby homeowner encountered him in his backyard and held him until a deputy arrested him, according to a news release by then-Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt.
Upon his arrest, Guerra was taken to the Shackleford County Jail, where he stayed until he was transferred on April 14, 2021, to the Stephens County Jail to stand trial for assaulting a peace office and evading arrest.
As of Friday afternoon, Guerra remained in the Stephens County Jail. However, Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach said he was contacted by Shackleford County that they are obtaining a bench warrant to have him transferred back to Shackleford County to be tried for charges in that county. Roach said Guerra was on probation at the time of his arrest and it’s his understanding that Guerra is also wanted in other counties in Texas on misdemeanor charges.
