The co-owner of Haltom City's landmark Clown Burger restaurant is facing a felony sexual assault charge after a woman told police he assaulted her at his home, then instructed her not to tell anyone. Willis Odell Jr., 58, was booked into Tarrant County jail on Tuesday and was released the next day after posting a $25,000 bond.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Odell sexually assaulted the woman, who knew him as a long-term family friend and had performed side jobs for him without formal employment. The woman told investigators she met Odell at a job site on August 4, and that he later drove her to his home, where the assault occurred. The affidavit states Odell kissed her without consent and shoved a pipe toward her face, and that she asked him to stop and pushed him away. Detectives wrote that the victim believed Odell was aware of her vulnerabilities, and the affidavit says he pressured her to use methamphetamine and gave her $40, which she used to buy gas and alcohol. The woman remained conscious and aware while under the influence, per the same account.
The case became public after Odell was arrested on the sexual assault accusation and now faces the charge in Tarrant County. He could not be reached for comment, the newspaper reported.
Hospital Report and a Crisis Response
The Haltom City Police Department received a sexual assault report from a nurse on August 24, after the victim's family took her to an emergency room the day before. The report was made at Medical City North Hills Hospital in North Richland Hills. Per the affidavit, the victim had searched the internet on August 22 for medications to place herself in a coma and experienced severe symptoms from the medication; a crisis hotline dispatched personnel to check on her.
A Pattern Detectives Say They Reviewed
Detectives reviewed police history involving Odell that included reports of threats and domestic incidents involving former partners. Odell's ex-wife reported in 2015 that he threatened to blow up her house and allegedly struck her in the chin, according to the affidavit. A separate woman reported in 2019 that Odell drove her to his home and made uncomfortable comments, as the same police history shows.
A Fixture of Haltom City Politics and Business
Odell is one of the owners of Clown Burger, the restaurant he bought in 2022, according to the affidavit cited in the Star-Telegram's reporting. Beyond the diner, Odell has built a long public profile as a repeat candidate in Haltom City elections. He ran for mayor in 2021, securing 305 votes out of 1,424 cast in a four-candidate field, according to Tarrant County Elections records. He also ran for city council in 2017, 2022, and again in the 2024 election, where he received 257 votes, or 24.55 percent, losing to Dana Coffman, who won with 790 votes, per Tarrant County Elections records from that race.
Clown Burger's Deep Local Roots
Clown Burger has been a fixture of Haltom City since it first opened in 1959, known for its flat-top burgers, retro decor, and cash-only operation, according to the Society for Commercial Archeology. The restaurant's classic roadside sign was relocated to its current Stanley Keller Road building after the original US Highway 377 location closed in 1995. City records show Haltom City issued a certificate of occupancy on January 3, 2023, listing Odell and Rio Investments LLC for the related Clown Burger Too location at 5020 Stanley Keller Road.
The felony charge against Odell falls under Texas Penal Code Section 22.011, which classifies sexual assault of an adult as a second-degree felony carrying a sentencing range of two to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Guest & Gray. A conviction would also require lifetime registration on the state's sex offender registry, per Mark A. Perez Attorney at Law.
Odell's arrest lands in a suburb of roughly 45,500 residents where longtime local businesses and familiar political names tend to carry outsized weight in the community's day-to-day life, according to Hoodline's local reporting on Haltom City. It remains unclear whether Odell has retained legal representation or how the case might affect Clown Burger's ownership and operations going forward. The criminal case against him is pending in Tarrant County, and as with any pending charge, Odell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
