A 22-year-old Houston man was arrested and charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash on I-10 that killed a Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy. Deputy Kenneth Lewis had stopped to help at the scene of accident when he was struck and killed, Houston police said.
Dennis Xavier Arguello-Acosta was charged Thursday with failure to stop and render aid resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence in a Harris County court. He was booked into the Harris County Jail on Friday.
Lewis was struck around 3 a.m. on February 21 on Katy Freeway near Eldridge Parkway. Lewis had gotten out of his personal vehicle to help people involved in a crash on the freeway when another vehicle struck him and left the scene. Houston Fire Department paramedics took Lewis to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He died two days later.
According to charging documents, investigators determined the suspect vehicle was a black Honda Civic with front right passenger side mirror damage. Evidence recovered at the scene, including a piece of mirror glass bearing the make “Honda,” helped narrow the search. A Crime Stoppers tip and a license plate reader search conducted by DPS later identified a matching vehicle registered at an apartment complex in northwest Houston.
Investigators traced the car’s ownership through a bill of sale to Arguello-Acosta, who had bought the black 2012 Honda Civic through Facebook Marketplace in September 2025. Cell phone records later placed his phone in the area of the crash at the time it occurred.
Court documents allege Arguello-Acosta took steps to conceal his involvement after the crash. According to the charging documents, he brought the vehicle to an auto shop for repairs the same evening of the collision, where the front and back windshields, the right mirror, right front door trim panel and the entire roof panel were replaced. Investigators noted the roof damage was consistent with an auto-pedestrian collision.
Arguello-Acosta was found at his apartment complex on March 13 and detained without incident. He was transported to a joint processing center, according to court documents. Investigators say he erased the contents of his phone while being booked.
Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan commented on the loss of Deputy Lewis.
“The job of law enforcement is one of service and sacrifice,” Fagan said. “The hardest and most heartbreaking moments in this profession come when we lose one of our own. Deputy Kenneth Lewis was a valiant officer. Acting under the color of law, he paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving his community.”
The State asked for a $500,000 bail for Arguello-Acosta, saying he struck someone resulting in his death, fled the scene, and made numerous attempts to cover up his involvement, including paying to replace the windshields and entire roof of the vehicle. The bail request was granted by the court.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday at 10 a.m. in Richmond.
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