Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Striking Border Patrol Agent With Vehicle
A resident of Katy, Texas, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by a court in Del Rio for a single count of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing law enforcement officers or employees.
“According to court documents, Kevin Dominguez, 26, drove a sedan to the U.S. Border Patrol immigration checkpoint, located on U.S. Highway 57, on Aug. 1, 2023. A USBP canine alerted the agents to the trunk, revealing an individual inside. Upon the USBP agent noticing the individual, Dominguez backed up and struck the agent with the vehicle before fleeing the checkpoint,” the FBI announced in a press release.
“A high-speed chase ensued and a USBP helicopter observed two occupants exit the vehicle into an open field. One of the individuals was located and confirmed to be an undocumented noncitizen from Honduras. Dominguez was indicted in a two-count indictment on Sept. 13, 2023, and was arrested on Sept. 14. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 24, 2024,” the press release added.
In a separate case, the FBI reported the arrest of four individuals in El Paso, Texas, on charges linked to their alleged involvement in a human smuggling scheme.
Court records indicate that agents from the Ysleta Border Patrol Station’s Disrupt Unit had been monitoring a motel in El Paso when they observed a vehicle with a temporary license plate. The same car had previously been spotted at multiple hotels known for housing undocumented individuals. As per court documents, the driver briefly entered the motel lobby before returning to the vehicle and leaving.
Shortly after, agents reportedly saw three individuals cautiously exiting one of the motel rooms and getting into another vehicle, which also had a temporary license plate. The driver, Yair Alejandro Aguilar-Flores, allegedly admitted that he was from Mexico and residing in the U.S. without legal authorization.
Angel Eduardo Carrillo-Carrillo and Jorge Alfredo Lopez-Acevedo, who were with him, were also taken into custody for being unlawfully present in the country. They also disclosed the presence of additional undocumented individuals in the motel room.
Further investigation led authorities to discover seven more undocumented individuals, all of whom were detained. As law enforcement continued their operation, they saw the driver of the initial vehicle returning to the motel and approaching the room where the migrants were staying, knocking on the door.
Jesus David Reyes-Villagran allegedly informed authorities that the motel room belonged to him and that he had just returned from transporting five other undocumented individuals to another El Paso hotel.
Aguilar-Flores, Carrillo-Carrillo, Lopez-Acevedo, and Reyes-Villagran are accused of smuggling and transporting undocumented individuals. If convicted, each could face up to 10 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine the sentencing based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal considerations.
Additionally, federal authorities apprehended a Honduran national who had previously been deported and convicted of crimes before being taken into federal custody in Austin for alleged illegal re-entry.
Court documents reveal that Melvin Armando Funes-Canales was located in the Williamson County jail around July 16, 2024.
He had been in custody due to suspicions of possessing a controlled substance. Investigators determined that Funes-Canales had been deported from the U.S. to Honduras on or around October 9, 2020, and had also been deported five additional times.
Funes-Canales has prior convictions for burglary, grand theft, and illegal re-entry.
He faces charges of illegal re-entry, which could result in a sentence of up to 10 years if convicted.
A federal district court judge will determine his sentencing based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant legal factors.