New Twist in San Angelo Fatal Hit-and-Run Case

SAN ANGELO, TX — A Tom Green County judge has issued a bench warrant for Andrea Mendoza, the San Angelo woman sentenced earlier this year to prison in a fatal hit-and-run case, according to court records filed this week.

The warrant, issued in the 391st District Court and dated Dec. 8, orders the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office to take the 20-year-old into custody and transport her to the Tom Green County Jail. Mendoza was confined at the Hilltop Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in Gatesville, at the time the warrant was issued.

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Mendoza's hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 19, 2025, on a request to suspend further execution of her sentence, commonly known as shock probation. 

Shock probation is a way to convert a prison sentence to probation. Shock probation or shock “community supervision” is an alternate type of sentencing or early-release program in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Shock probation allows a judge to send a defendant to prison or jail for a short  period of time, and after that stint is served, put the defendant on probation. The hope is that serving a brief time behind bars will “shock” the defendant into resuming life as a law-abiding citizen.

Shock probation was designed to address overcrowding issues in jails and reward certain defendants for good behavior. It can be a good option for defendants who are unlikely to be repeat offenders.

Mendoza pleaded guilty on June 26, 2025, to a charge of accident involving death, a second-degree felony. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in a hit-and-run crash that killed James Dwyer, 53, in August 2024.

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The crash occurred near the intersection of 32nd Street and North Chadbourne Street. Investigators determined Mendoza was driving the vehicle involved and left the scene without stopping to render aid. Dwyer died at the scene from his injuries.

Less than eight months later, Mendoza was arrested again and charged with driving while intoxicated.

The bench warrant directs law enforcement to detain Mendoza and hold her until further orders of the court.