By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Former Sonora Police Department Chief Donald Edward Fernandez Jr. on Thursday pleaded guilty to misdemeanor family violence assault and was sentenced to two years community supervision.
Fernandez, a Del Rio native who also formerly served as an officer in the Del Rio Police Department, was arrested in September 2025 and charged with two counts of the offense of assault of a pregnant person, both third-degree felonies, following an investigation by the Del Rio Police Department and the Texas Rangers.
At the time of his arrest, Fernandez was serving as the police chief in Sonora, Texas, a city of about 2,500 persons located about 90 miles north of Del Rio. Fernandez was subsequently fired from the position in early October 2025.
The indictment against Fernandez stated “on or about” April 5, 2022, Fernandez allegedly assaulted a woman with whom he “had or has had a dating relationship” and whom he knew was pregnant at the time of the assault. The incident from which the indictment stems
allegedly occurred in Val Verde County.
Although the woman’s name is listed in the indictment, Texas law protects the identity of victims of domestic violence, so The 830 Times will not print her name.
In the first count of the indictment, Fernandez was accused of “intentionally, knowingly and recklessly causing bodily harm to (the woman). . . by pulling the hair of said (woman).”
In the second count of the indictment, Fernandez was accused of “intentionally, knowingly and recklessly causing bodily harm to (the woman). . . by dragging the said (woman) on the floor by the hair.”
Fernandez and his attorney, Patrick Hancock, on Thursday appeared before 63rd Judicial District Judge Roland Andrade. Assistant District Attorney Daniel Esquivel represented the state.
According to a copy of the court order provided to The 830 Times today, Fernandez waived his right to a trial on the offenses and pleaded guilty to the offense of assault causing bodily injury/family violence, a lesser included offense, a Class A misdemeanor.
The order also shows that the adjudication of Fernandez’s guilt is deferred, and Fernandez was placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for a period of two years.
In cases of deferred adjudication, if the defendant complies with all of the requirements set by the court, an attorney can request a dismissal of the charge to which the defendant pleaded guilty.
Fernandez was also fined $2,000 and ordered to pay court costs of $265.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
