A Dilley man found himself behind bars on Independence Day after he reportedly pushed two people over a ledge and assaulted them.
Frio County deputies say emergency dispatchers received a call shortly before 10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 4, regarding an altercation at a hotel near IH-35 in Dilley.
During initial interviews with witnesses, the responding deputies learned that 30-year-old Jesse James Soto, who is the maintenance man for the hotel in which he lives, had allegedly attacked a couple after a verbal altercation between a woman and Soto’s girlfriend.
The man had a laceration to his head and the woman’s face was bloodied from injuries the pair had reportedly sustained during a physical altercation with Soto.
Jesse James Soto
According to a report on the case, Soto alleged the couple had cornered his girlfriend while she was collecting a friend to attend a barbecue. He also claimed that the pair had struck his girlfriend with a pair of brass knuckles.
Investigating deputies learned the verbal altercation was prompted by the victim owing Soto’s girlfriend money.
Deputies soon learned a witness had videotaped the altercation. The footage reportedly shows Soto pushing the couple over a ledge and then striking and kicking the man when the couple was lying on the ground.
Emergency dispatchers confirmed that Soto was listed as wanted on an active warrant for deadly conduct.
Soto was arrested and transported to the Frio County Jail in Pearsall without further incident. He has been charged with two Class A misdemeanors for assault causing bodily injury.
