Mineola, TX -- On Thursday, September 25, Mineola police officers arrested 22-year-old Alberto Joshua Hernandez Jr. of Mineola in connection with a violent incident earlier this month.
According to investigators, on September 8 a man driving home accidentally struck a dog on the road. After pulling over, he noticed a silver Ford pickup stop behind him. The driver, later identified as Hernandez, allegedly exited his vehicle with a gun and threatened to shoot the victim for killing his dog.
Police say Hernandez then forced the victim to retrieve the dog’s body from a ditch and bury it in his yard at gunpoint. Hernandez also took the victim’s phone and keys before making him enter his home, where Hernandez retrieved an AR-style firearm.
Hernandez then forced the victim into his truck and directed him to an ATM, where he ordered him to withdraw money as “compensation” for the dog. Surveillance video confirmed the victim handing cash to a passenger holding a rifle inside the truck. The victim’s mother, who arrived at the scene, also witnessed Hernandez with the weapon.
The victim later identified Hernandez in a photo lineup, leading police to secure arrest warrants for Aggravated Robbery and Aggravated Kidnapping.
When officers executed the arrest warrant at Hernandez’s home, they discovered quantities of narcotics consistent with drug dealing. As a result, Hernandez faces eight additional charges, including:
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Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance PG1
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Three counts of Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance PG2
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Possession of a Controlled Substance PG1/1-B
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Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance PG3/4
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Delivery of Marijuana
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Possession of a Dangerous Drug
Hernandez was booked into the Wood County Jail on a total bond of $360,000.
