These Recent Odessa Arrests Are Making Major Local Headlines

The City of Odessa has been in the news quite a bit recently due to the wave of arrests and criminal charges floating around the town. Let's go over three recent arrests that have made the headlines.

Murder Charge by Fentanyl Poisoning

In January of this year, 25-year-old Dayton Hector Lynn was found dead near Eisenhower Road and East 23rd Street. A toxicology report later determined his cause of death was fentanyl poisoning.

It was discovered that Shelbi Elder, 36, had delivered the deadly narcotic to Lynn earlier that morning. Once the cause of death was made known, a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Elder was arrested on April 2 and was booked into the Ector County Jail on a murder charge. She was later released on a $75,000 bond.

Two Young Men Accidentally Sell Cocaine to Cops

Moving ahead to Thursday, April 2, and two men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested after they agreed to sell cocaine to undercover cops.

The detectives, both from the Odessa Police Department, agreed to purchase 3.5 grams of the illegal narcotic from the 20-year-old. A meetup was arranged on the 1300 block of Graham Avenue, and police used a drone to scope out the area beforehand.

Authorities then spotted the two men at the location and conducted a traffic stop. During the arrest, a glasses case was discovered with dollar bills and cocaine. One of the men also admitted to having cocaine hidden "under his scrotum to avoid detection," according to News West 9.

A Convenience Store Stabbing

Finally, on April 5, Odessa police were called to a DK gas station/convenience store responding to an alleged assault. It was here where they found a man holding paper towel against his abdomen to stop the bleeding from a stab wound.

The man told police that he was just minding his own business when 60-year-old Samuel Warren Slade entered the store, exclaimed "Just for you," and stabbed the man once in the abdomen before exiting.

After reviewing surveillance footage, officers were able to confirm the story from the stabbing victim and located Slade, placing him under arrest shortly thereafter.

Samuel Warren Slade was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony in Texas, and is held on a $25,000 bond.

Slade's extensive criminal history dates back to 1995 when he was charged with assaulting a family member.