Another month, another arrest for school board member

EDCOUCH — Edcouch-Elsa school board member Manuel Hernandez Jr. landed behind bars Saturday for the third time in as many months.

Officers arrested Hernandez, 29, around 10 p.m. on a public intoxication charge. He was also charged with resisting arrest after he struggled with officers, Edcouch police Chief Eloy Cardenas said on Sunday.

“As for the circumstances, I’m not quite sure right now,” Cardenas said. “I haven’t seen the report yet.”

The embattled trustee refused to relinquish his seat on the board last month after two high-profile arrests in the fall.

On Nov. 13, Elsa police took him into custody at his mother’s request during a violent confrontation at his grandmother’s home. During the booking process, officers found he was carrying a small amount of cocaine.

Less than three weeks before that, Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies arrested Hernandez on burglary and assault charges after he allegedly broke into an ex-girlfriend’s Monte Alto home and attacked her during an argument.

Responding to community criticism, his fellow trustees voted to ask for his resignation but under state law could not forcibly remove him from the board. Just before that, fellow board members had accused Hernandez of shirking his responsibilities by not attending school district functions or meetings.

“He came to our last meeting in December like everything was normal,” trustee Saul Garcia said.

Hernandez was released from the Hidalgo County jail Sunday morning on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond but could not be reached for comment later.

No trial dates have been set on his other pending charges.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts, law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.