Former police officer accused in connection with McAllen kidnapping

McALLEN — A former police officer was arrested Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of playing a key role in an abduction and execution-style shooting in South McAllen.

Rene de Hoyos, 28, formerly employed by the Hidalgo, La Joya and Pharr police departments, was arrested about 3 p.m. at the Pharr police station when he reported his black Chevrolet truck stolen — the same vehicle used in Sunday night’s attack.

“It was a false report … to cover his tracks,” McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “We believe he was certainly in a leadership role” in the kidnapping and slaying attempt.

La Joya Police Chief Jose del Angel said de Hoyos left that department last year after he failed to pass a six-month probationary period.

Investigators found an Hidalgo police identification card inside the recovered truck belonging to de Hoyos. Officials said he was employed by Hidalgo before working for the La Joya Police Department.

“He had an ID that he shouldn’t have had because he was no longer with us,” Hidalgo Police Chief Vernon Rosser said. “Out of respect for the McAllen police investigation, we can’t say anything other than that.”

According to public records, de Hoyos does not have a criminal background that would make him ineligible to work as a peace officer.

“The big question from the public might be: ‘Did he engage in criminal activity with this agency or that agency?’” Pharr Police Chief Ruben Villescas said. “There’s nothing that has led us to believe that during the time employed (by Pharr) he did engage in any kind of criminal activity.”

Another man — Jose Luis Ventura, 28, of Reynosa — was previously charged with two counts of attempted capital murder in connection with the attack. Rodriguez said de Hoyos will likely face the same charges at an arraignment hearing today.

Ventura, a Mexican citizen, was arrested the night of the kidnapping-turned-shooting. He remained at the Hidalgo County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of a $2 million bond.

Police were still seeking at least two other assailants in connection with Sunday’s attack, during which two victims were shot.

“The victims are alright,” Rodriguez said. “They’re going to make it.”

The McAllen chief said de Hoyos was among a group of suspected drug smugglers who were looking for a brother of one of the victims. The assailants apparently attacked the victims because they refused to help find their target, the chief said.

The two victims voluntarily met with the suspects about 10:30 p.m. Sunday at the parking lot of a Walmart store at 1200 E. Jackson Ave. The victims got into the black Chevrolet truck and rode away with the suspects, one of whom shot one victim in the arm while Ventura drove the vehicle away from the store, according to police records.

The injured victim, Juan Rangel Hernandez, 21, ran away from his captors and sought help. Police said Rangel then lied to police about his identity, stalling the ongoing investigation.

“We were chasing, basically, false information,” Rodriguez said.

Rangel was released from the hospital soon after the attack and was charged Tuesday in McAllen Municipal Court with providing a false report, a Class B misdemeanor.

Another unnamed victim — an adult male — was released from the hospital Wednesday. The man managed to call relatives after his attackers shot him in the leg, transferred him to another vehicle and drove him to a secluded area. There, they forced him on his knees, shot him in the back of the head and pushed him down a levee, according to a police affidavit in the case.

Investigators located the black pickup — covered in blood spatter — at a Shell gas station.

A shirtless, muddy Ventura was found later that night at a hotel in South McAllen. The suspect told police he had been robbed, giving investigators conflicting information about the phony theft. Eventually, the Reynosa man admitted to driving the black Chevrolet truck used during the kidnapping.

Rodriguez said de Hoyos reported the truck stolen Wednesday but gave police information that fanned suspicion about his involvement in the attempted slaying.

If convicted of the first-degree felony, de Hoyos could face life in prison.

“It’s hard to accept ... that someone who has dedicated themselves to (law enforcement) could commit such a violent crime,” Rodriguez said. “It’s disturbing.”

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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.