Woman held on drug, paraphernalia charges

The mother of a teenager on probation in connection with last summer's beating death of a 54-year-old man was arrested early Sunday on charges of possession of drugs and paraphernalia.

Nina Gomez, 33, was arrested shortly after midnight as she was driving out of the Tillman sandpits.

According to the arresting officer, Gomez, accompanied by a 17-year-old boy, was stopped just before 1 a.m. because the vehicle she was driving had a burned-out headlight.

She is the mother of Jimmy Holman, 16, convicted of involuntary manslaughter last year in the June 22 beating death of Terrence Joe Howell.

According to reports, the deputy saw Gomez toss two small plastic bags from the vehicle when he activated the overhead lights and before she stopped.

The 17-year-old boy was detained for minor consuming and a juvenile probation violation.

Gomez is to appear for arraignment Wednesday in East Fork Justice Court. Her bail was set at $10,500 on allegations of two counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The deputy recovered two plastic bags he believed contained heroin and methamphetamine. A second officer reportedly found for hypodermic needles under the passenger's seat in Gomez's vehicle.

The bags weighed less than a gram each and were submitted for analysis.

Holman also is in Douglas County Jail for his second probation violation. District Judge Dave Gamble set a April 27 hearing for disposition. He was 15 at the time of Howell's death.

Anthony Gomez - Nina Gomez's husband and Holman's stepfather - was sentenced in November to a maximum of eight years in prison in the incident.