Woman indicted on endangerment counts

May 5—A 47-year-old Odessa woman accused of knowingly leaving children with a suspected sex offender was arrested Thursday.

According to Ector County District Court records, Michelle Armendariz was indicted late last month on three counts of endangering a child, placing them in imminent danger of bodily injury, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

Back in March 2022, the Ector County Sheriff's Office said Armendariz told deputies four children reported her husband, Fidencio Eduardo Armendariz, 41, had been touching them inappropriately.

According to a news release, investigators later learned Armendariz knew about the alleged abuse, but still allowed her husband access to the children.

Michelle Armendariz was arrested at that time, but later released after posting $90,000 in surety bonds.

The indictment handed down on April 24 pertains to three children, all under the age of 15. She posted $75,000 in surety bonds and was released from the Ector County jail Friday.

Fidencio Armendariz was indicted May 16, 2022, on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child.

He's accused of raping a child under the age of 6 with an unknown object and sexually abusing two other children on March 3, 2022. He's also accused of sexually abusing a fourth child in September 2010.

He remains in custody on surety bonds totaling $450,000.