By Anita Miller
Additional charges have been filed against two people charged with firing at a Hays County Sheriff’s Office vehicle during a high-speed chase form Dripping Springs to near Johnson City last weekend.
Nathaniel Castro, 23, of El Paso and Klarissa Soto, 19, of Manchaca were taken into custody Sunday morning following an all-night search near the intersection of U.S. 290 and U.S. 281. They had fled the car involved in the pursuit after it veered off the roadway and crashed. Castro was allegedly behind the wheel and Soto is allegedly the person who fired shots along the chase along U.S. 290 that at times exceeded 100 mph.
At the time of their arrest, each was charged with aggravated assault on a public servant and evading arrest. Castro was initially held on bonds totaling $2 million. Soto’s bonds totaled $1.5 million.
Since then, Castro has additionally been charged with tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Soto has additionally been charged with tampering with intent to impair.
As of this afternoon, bonds had not been set on those offenses.
According to a HCSO news release, it was discovered during the investigation that Castro had a “multitude” of felony warrants from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office — five for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, 3 for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and one for continuous family violence. Castro’s bonds on those offenses was set at $900,000.
Though both were taken into custody without incident, the weapon was never found, and the HCSO says the search for it is continuing along 17 miles of U.S. 290, despite being hampered by weather.
