LUBBOCK Texas — Damien Dre Gonzales, 27, of Levelland accepted a plea deal Tuesday for kidnapping. He admitted that he kidnapped a 9-year-old girl from a birthday party for the purpose of having sex with her.
In August 2020, the girl and her dad attended the party. A woman was choking, court records said. While everyone else was pre-occupied trying to help the woman, Gonzales took the girl in his car.
After he drove her “several miles away” he stopped the car after hitting a mailbox. While the car was stopped, Gonzales admits he removed her shirt, shorts, bra and underwear.
At the same time, someone called law enforcement to complain about a vehicle in the middle of the roadway in the 1300 block of Ellis Road in Hockley County. Officers found Gonzales with the girl in the car.
The girl managed to get some but not all of her clothes back on as officers approached the car. Gonzales admitted he threatened violence against officers as he was arrested.
In a completely separate case, Gonzales was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child in Lubbock. In the federal case, if a judge accepts the plea deal, Gonzales will be sentenced to no less than 20 years in prison and no more than life.
