Mother, sons arrested after beer run turns violent
SAN JUAN — A mother and her two underage sons remained in jail Wednesday, charged with assaulting a store clerk who refused to sell them beer.
San Juan police believe Bertha Benavides Marsiglia, 39, took the two to buy alcohol early Tuesday morning at the Speedy Stop convenience store near the intersection of Business 83 and “I” Road.
Surveillance camera footage shows the sons entering the store just after midnight and attempting to buy alcohol.
But when the clerk refused to sell to them because the cutoff time to sell alcohol had just passed at midnight, they assaulted him and stole the beer, San Juan police investigator Rolando Garcia said.
Marsiglia, who was allegedly waiting outside the store in a running car, sped off with her sons but was pulled over blocks away by Alamo police.
Officers determined she was intoxicated, found a small amount of marijuana in her vehicle and discovered she was wanted on an active fugitive warrant from Brooks County in connection with a marijuana possession charge.
The two sons — David Rivera, 20, and a 16-year-old whose name was not released because of his juvenile status — were arrested and charged with robbery.
A 9-year-old son who was in the car at the time of the alleged theft was placed in the custody of family members at the scene, Garcia said.
At her arraignment Tuesday, Marsiglia was charged with driving while intoxicated with a child under the age of 15, marijuana possession and contributing to the delinquency of her children. She remained in the Hidalgo County jail on a $5,000 bond Wednesday afternoon.
Tuesday’s robbery is at least the second time Rivera has been arrested in connection with an alcohol-related incident.
Earlier this year he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to 45 days in county jail. His bond was set at $50,000.
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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts, law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.
