Document details final moments before fatal injury to woman pushed from truck & killed in Port Arthur

Published 11:06 pm Friday, November 19, 2021

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The probable cause affidavit for the arrest of Lonnie Rodgers, who is charged in the death of Madison Martinez sheds some light into what a witness contends occurred.

Rodgers, 46, of Nederland is being held on a $500,000 bond in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility on a charge of manslaughter in the Oct. 16 death of Madison Martinez, 27.

According to the document, Martinez was in the company of Rodgers and another man on Oct. 15. Security video reportedly shows a red Dodge truck leading the Fuel Depot in the 3700 block of Lake Arthur Drive leaving the parking lot quickly. The video shows Martinez come out of or off the driver side of the truck onto the roadway. Another video reportedly showed how fast Rodgers accelerated and has audio.

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Rodgers later made a statement, the document read, saying he was driving the truck and Martinez was standing at his window when he drove off.

A witness saw the woman and another person or persons were having an argument before Martinez was pushed to the ground and the truck attempted to pull off, it just jerked forward but stopped.

This was because Martinez jumped back towards the driver’s side of the truck.

Rodgers made a statement saying there was something in the truck she was fighting for.

The truck took off very fast and the witness saw Martinez come off the driver side of the truck, the document read.

The witness was asked if they could tell if there was force being used from within the truck towards Martinez that would cause her to fall and he said definitely.

Port Arthur police were called to scene where the woman was located in the westbound lane at the intersection of Lake Arthur Drive and Ninth Avenue. She had a head injury and was brought to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth in Beaumont where she died the next day.

An warrant was issued for the arrest of Rodgers and he turned him self in to law enforcement.

A call to Kevin Cribbs who is listed as Rodgers’ attorney was not returned by press time.