By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A Del Rio man with a prior felony conviction for attempting to run from police has been arrested and charged with the same offense, committed while allegedly trying to smuggle four undocumented persons, police said.
Jose Antonio Hernandez, 43, 107 Leticia St., was arrested shortly after 9 p.m. on Sept. 3, according to an arrest report released recently by the Del Rio Police Department. Hernandez was charged with the offense of evading arrest/detention with a vehicle, a third-degree felony, and with four counts of the offense of smuggling of persons, all third-degree felonies, the report on his arrest shows.
In an interview with the 830 Times, DRPD Corporal Dulce Gonzalez said DRPD Senior Officer Nadine Terrazas arrested Hernandez.
“Senior Officer Terrazas was on patrol, traveling south in the 3900 block of Veterans Boulevard when she observed a black Cadillac traveling in front of her. She was unable to see the license plate of the vehicle, and she further noticed there was no license plate light on the vehicle,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said as Terrazas got closer to the Cadillac, she confirmed there was no license plate on the vehicle.
“The driver of the vehicle noticed the patrol officer behind him and began to accelerate. At this time, Senior Officer Terrazas activated her emergency lights in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle,” Gonzalez added.
Gonzalez said the vehicle continued traveling “at a high rate of speed,” entered the parking lot of the Neal One-Stop, then exited back onto Veterans Boulevard. The driver lost control of the vehicle and spun to a stop on the inside lane of Veterans Boulevard.
Terrazas reported she saw three men leap from the vehicle and jump over the barricades on the median. She said she saw two other men run west away from the car, Gonzalez said.
“Terrazas advised dispatch and other officers she would be attempting to pursue the driver, who was also running. She gave a clothing description, blue shirt and blue jeans, and said he had run eastbound,” Gonzalez said.
Terrazas reported she was unable to locate any of the persons who fled from the vehicle, but was then notified by other officers that U.S. Border Patrol agents in the area had located one man, identified as Hernandez. None of Hernandez’s passengers were located.
Gonzalez said Hernandez was later also identified as the driver of the Cadillac.
Gonzalez said Hernandez has a prior conviction in the 63rd Judicial District Court here in 2004 for the offense of evading arrest/detention with a vehicle.
—
Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
