MIDLAND, Texas — Twenty-three-year-old Armando Barba was sentenced Thursday for failure to stop and render aid and tampering with evidence, according to the Midland County District Attorney's Office. This trial was related to a 2021 case where then 23-year-old Theron Brown was killed in a hit-and-run crash.
According to the release, after midnight on June 6, 2021, Brown was leaving a concert at the Rusty Bucket BBQ and Tavern when Barba struck him while he was trying to cross the street of Industrial Ave. Barba then fled the scene. Brown was taken to Midland Memorial Hospital where he later died.
NewsWest 9 reported a couple days later that the Midland Police Department received a Crime Stoppers tip that led officers to an address at the Airline Mobile Home Park where Barba and the vehicle involved were located.
According to the DA's Office, while officers were at the residence, Barba was trying to conceal the crime by replacing damaged parts to the vehicle.
Other evidence in the case showed that Barba and his friends were drinking throughout the night and that he was intoxicated when he struck Brown and fled the scene.
Barba was sentenced to 15 years for failing to stop and render aid and 10 years for tampering with evidence.
The release states that Barba faces the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison and his two sentences must run concurrently.
He was denied probation from the jury and will have to serve at least one quarter of his sentence before being eligible for parole.