Odessa man to face jury in Superior Court

ODESSA — A man charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree will appear before a jury on Wednesday, August 14.

Jesus M. Soto, 37, of Odessa, was summoned to Lincoln County Superior Court on March 19 at 10:30 a.m., following his January 26 arrest after authorities developed probable cause to arrest him for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

According to court documents, during an interview with Tammy L. Davenport about an unrelated case on December 26, 2023, she disclosed that Soto possessed two firearms at his residence on East 3rd Avenue.

She claimed to have seen the firearms eight months prior and believed Soto still had them, describing them as rifles, with one being pink.

Davenport informed deputies that Soto, a convicted felon, should not possess firearms and identified Soto’s girlfriend, Cassandra Clark.

Reports indicate Soto said the pink gun belonged to Clark.

Court records show Soto was previously arrested in Montana in 2010 for Assault with a weapon, for which he was convicted and served prison time.

On January 26, 2024, an anonymous tip through a crime stopper line suggested Soto had spoken about hiring someone to murder his ex-wife, Kristina Keys, of Harrington, offering $5,000 for the act due to a custody battle over their minor children.

Soto also reportedly told the witness he had a gun in his room.

Court records show deputies went to the residence to search the premises. Before entry, they encountered Clark and four minor children in the home. Clark admitted to owning a firearm, which she did not keep in a safe, and stated it was in the bedroom in the basement, a room they had not used due to her bed rest from pregnancy.

Drug paraphernalia, including a multicolored glass pipe with burnt residue and a clear glass bong, was found in the home.

In the basement bedroom, deputies located a silver and black Dickinson 12 gauge shotgun.

Court records state deputies cleared four rounds from the weapon, which also had a saddle holding an additional five rounds.

Four boxes of shotgun shells were found in the top drawer of the master bedroom dresser, along with a letter addressed to Soto.