PEARLAND, Texas – A man has been accused of stealing metal from a Pearland business, running over an employee who tried to stop him and coming back later to steal again.
Pearland police said Jose Antonio Sepulveda, 33, went to Turbine Machining International in the 2400 block of Roy Road on Oct. 26 and asked for scrap metal. Sepulveda told an employee that he was unemployed and recently got out of prison, officials said. The employee escorted Sepulveda to the silver Jeep Wrangler he drove to the business.
Sepulveda went back to the business between 8:45 and 9 a.m. on Oct. 28 and started to load metal into the same Jeep, police said. An employee approached Sepulveda and Sepulveda told him he had permission to take the metal.
The employee said he was going to verify that Sepulveda had permission to take the metal, then Sepulveda said, "I can't go back," and acted as if he was going to fight the employee, investigators said. The employee did not fight Sepulveda and Sepulveda got into the Jeep, officials said.
As he was leaving, Sepulveda backed up quickly and hit the employee, detectives said.
Police said the employee got in his car and chased Sepulveda, but he lost sight of him after a while.
Sepulveda got away with about $3,250 worth of specialty pistons and electrical conduit, police said.
Detectives said Sepulveda went back to the business about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 28. Mitch Demny, the manager of the business, who lives in a travel trailer on site, found Sepulveda and a woman, Donetta Davila, 40, loading metal into the bed of a Dodge pickup truck.
Demny pulled out a gun and told the two not to leave.
Davila was so terrified that she did something no one expected.
"She actually wet the ground," Demny said.
Sepulveda put up a fight, Demny said.
"He started coming at me, and that's when things got pretty tense," Demny said
Demny said he threatened to shoot Sepulveda.
"He finally listened and backed up and got on the ground," Demny said.
Sepulveda has been charged with theft, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and robbery. Police said the robbery charge stemmed from a separate incident that also happened on Oct. 28. He's being held in the Brazoria County Jail with bond set at $75,000.
Davila was charged with theft. She's being held in the Brazoria County Jail with bond set at $25,000.