A northeast Harris County man is facing felony charges after court documents say he doused his girlfriend and their home with gasoline on Easter Sunday, threatened to set them on fire, and choked a child who tried to step in. The incident unfolded at a house in the 4000 block of Apache Lane, where the woman later told investigators the fuel caused a burning sensation on her skin. Prosecutors have filed two felony counts against 42-year-old Oscar Mendoza in connection with the alleged attack.
According to documents reviewed by ABC13 Houston, deputies were called after Mendoza, who investigators said had been drinking, pushed the woman to the ground, grabbed a container of gasoline, and poured it over both the house and the victim while waving a lighter. The affidavit notes that the woman felt a burning sensation, and that when one of four children tried to stop him, Mendoza allegedly grabbed a 12-year-old by the throat. The Harris County District Attorney's Office accepted two charges: aggravated family assault and injury to a child, and court records reviewed by ABC13 state that Mendoza had a prior aggravated-assault charge from 2006.
What the charges mean
Under Texas law, aggravated assault is typically prosecuted as a second-degree felony, which is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and fines up to $10,000. Penalties for injury to a child vary depending on how serious the harm is and what the accused person intended. The state's assault and injury statutes lay out those ranges and possible sentence enhancements in family-violence cases, according to the Texas Penal Code. How prosecutors proceed and whether enhancements are applied will shape any eventual sentence if Mendoza is convicted.
Help and resources
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. For confidential local support, the Houston Area Women’s Center operates a 24/7 domestic-violence hotline at 713-528-2121, and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) offers legal and counseling services at 713-224-9911, according to HAWC and AVDA. Both organizations provide emergency support, shelter referrals, and legal advocacy for survivors.
Details in the affidavit reviewed by ABC13 form the basis of the current charges, and authorities have not issued additional public statements beyond what appears in the court records. We will keep an eye on public filings for hearing dates and other developments and will update this story as more information becomes available.
