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A 31-year-old Odessa attorney remained Thursday in the custody of U.S. Marshals after he was charged with possession of coc aine and possession of child pornography.
Ralph Anthony Torres Jr. was arrested Monday after a “week long investigation,” Ector County sheriff’s investigator Abel Sanchez said.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Parras, Torres remained Thursday in the custody of U.S. Marshals. He has had an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate and probably will have a preliminary hearing next week.
Torres was arrested after trying to sell a “confidential informant” about a half-ounce of coc aine, an arrest warrant said. The sale price was $300.
Following a tip from the informant, Abel Sanchez — dressed in uniform — pulled Torres over Monday on a routine traffic violation in 1300 block of Bluebonnet Ave. There, Torres was arrested on a charge of not having his current address on his driver’s license.
After the arrest, Sanchez searched the gold Dodge minivan that Torres was driving. There, he reported finding 15 grams of coc aine — about half an ounce, the warrant said.
In addition to the 15 grams found in Torres’ vehicle, 132 grams of coc aine along with 116 grams of marijuana was found at the attorney’s house, the warrant said.
Sanchez said Thursday he made another discovery once he searched the home of the attorney — in Torres’ master bedroom, they found pictures of nude girls as young as 6 to 8 years old .
“Actually, it was not part of the investigation,” he said. “We just — during the search — came up with some stuff that he had in possession.”
Parras said Torres, if convicted, could face up to 20 years on the coc aine charge and up to 10 years on the child pornography charge.
“He could face up to 30 years total,” Parras said. “That’s the maximum he could face in prison if convicted.”