HOUSTON — Police re-arrested the man Thursday who's charged with killing a United States Postal Service worker in a north Houston hit-and-run crash last weekend.
Robert Jones, 29, was killed Saturday afternoon when police say Jesus Natividad Gutierrez crashed his SUV into Jones' mail truck in north Houston.
Gutierrez, 43, was first arrested Tuesday and charged with failure to stop and render aid/accident involving death and filing a false police report.
He'd been released from jail after posting a $105,000 bond but his freedom didn't last long. KHOU 11 News cameras were rolling as Gutierrez walked in and sat in the courtroom Thursday before he was taken into custody again for violating his probation.
"So, Mr. Gutierrez was on deferred adjudication for felon in possession of a weapon out of this court, and this new offense, failure to stop and render aid violates his adjudication,” Joe Wells, Gutierrez’s attorney, explained.
Deferred adjudication is a type of probation from a previous charge. Wells said since Gutierrez picked up two new charges the judge signed an order to revoke his probation. This time his bond was set at $45,000.
Jones was on his mail route when Gutierrez hit his postal truck from behind, causing it to flip over, and then drove away, according to HPD. Jones was ejected and pinned under the truck. Witnesses rushed to help him but he later died at the hospital. They tried to stop the SUV and were able to get its license plate number.
On Thursday, Gutierrez attorney said they'd be looking into whether their client knew someone was hurt when he left the scene.
"There's failing to stop after an accident, which would be a misdemeanor, and then there's failing to stop and render aid, and the key point about failing to stop and render aid, you have to know if there was somebody who needs aid, or possibly needs aid,” Wells said.
According to court documents, Gutierrez also lied to police, initially telling officers that his vehicle had been stolen while shopping at a Walmart before Jones was killed.
Police said Gutierrez even filed a police report, but surveillance video later showed him leaving the Walmart in his SUV, just minutes before the crash.
"I’ve got to look at all the evidence that the state has, particularly look at all the videos and look at the autopsy and see exactly how this happened,” Wells said.
If Gutierrez makes bond again, he'll have to wear an ankle monitor and will be under house arrest.
Jones leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter. His father called the arrest bittersweet.
"It's not closure, but it's a start," he said. "He could do anything. Delivering mail, he's helping people move furniture, I mean anything he could do to help anybody, he would do. If anybody needed anything he was always there no matter what it was."
A vigil will be held for Jones Friday evening on Bauman Road at Julia in the northside neighborhood where he was killed.
Jones' funeral is set for Saturday.