Amarillo man faces sexual assault charge

An Amarillo man remained in the Donley County Jail this week on charges related to a sexual assault in Howardwick.

The Donley County Sheriff’s Department received a call at 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, of a possible rape in progress at a residence on Janny Drive. Sheriff Butch Blackburn said officers arrived and were told by a person from that residence that a man was beating and raping a woman inside. They entered and found an unconscious 48-year-old female.

The woman was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo, where she was treated for sexual assault and released that night, Blackburn said.

Joel Dean Lester, age 42, was arrested at the scene for sexual assault, a second degree felony. He was arraigned by Donley County Judge Jack Hall last Tuesday and indicted by the Grand Jury last Friday. He remains in custody with bond set at $50,000.

Blackburn said three Amarillo residents had come to Howardwick for the weekend. When one member of the party began assaulting another member of the party, the third person ran to a neighbor’s house to call the authorities.

The sheriff also said that alcohol was a contributing factor to the crime.