Houston men arrested by Border Patrol after stealing vehicle in Edinburgh

TTwo Houston men were arrested by Border Patrol agents early Monday morning after stealing a vehicle in Edinburgh because their original vehicle in which they planned to smuggle two people to San Antonio broke down, according to a criminal complaint.

Christian Brayden Hardy and Jesus Jonathan Rodriguez, both 18, were federally charged with attempting to transport persons illegally present in the United States using a stolen vehicle. They also face robbery charges.

Around 12:01 a.m. Monday, Border Patrol agents encountered a blue Ford Fiesta driven by Hardy with Rodriguez as a passenger.

Hardy told agents they were returning to Houston after spending “a short time” in the Rio Grande Valley, while Rodriguez remained silent but displayed “nervous” behavior, according to the complaint.

They were then sent back to the secondary inspection area when officers asked Hardy to open the trunk of the Fiesta, but he had difficulty doing so. Hardy then handed the keys to an officer who found two men inside the trunk.

One man was from Guatemala and the other from Mexico. They both freely told agents that they were present in the country illegally.

Officers discovered a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol on Rodriguez’s waistband with a bullet in the chamber, the complaint states.

In an interview with authorities, Rodriguez admitted to knowingly smuggling people and said he was going to be paid $2,000 per person. He also said he recruited Hardy because Rodriguez did not have a driver’s license.

As they headed into the valley, their truck began having mechanical problems and broke down several times before having it towed to a mechanic shop.

That’s when they decided to steal a vehicle from a gas station near the mechanic’s shop, according to the complaint.

A City of Edinburg news release said police responded to 4420 W. University Drive on Sunday regarding a robbery.

“Rodriguez and Hardy targeted a vehicle and approached the driver and asked him to use his phone,” the complaint states. “Rodriguez said Hardy fought with the unknown man. Rodriguez then brandished his gun which was at Rodriguez’s waist and told the man it wasn’t worth him losing his life.

The victim later told police that “he got scared and feared for his life” when they pointed the gun at him, according to the complaint.

Rodriguez threw the man’s phone so the man could not call police once he left the scene.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m., Edinburgh police made contact with the victim who said he was going to get water when Rodriguez and Hardy approached him, asking to borrow his phone, only to be pushed out from his vehicle which was then taken away, according to reports. release.

Hardy told Border Patrol he had known Rodriguez since high school and said he approached him about a job smuggling people into San Antonio for $1,500. Due to his financial situation, he decided to help Rodriguez.

They left Houston on Saturday and began having mechanical problems, so they stayed at a hotel in Raymondville in the meantime, according to the complaint.

Once in the Edinburgh mechanic shop, Rodriguez told Hardy that they had to scare someone into giving them their vehicle.

After fleeing with the stolen Fiesta, Rodriguez called the smuggler to inform him that they were “ready to embark on the smuggling adventure.”

The duo then met the smuggler at a Junior supermarket and followed him to a location where the men who were to be trafficked were located.

Once there, they asked the men to sit in the back seat of the Fiesta. Rodriguez then asked the men to unlock the back seats and crawl into the trunk 10 minutes before arriving at the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, according to the complaint.

Edinburgh police were able to confirm that Rodriguez and Hardy were the ones who stole the Fiesta from outside a Stripes convenience store in Edinburg after reviewing surveillance video.

Both traffickers are expected to reappear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie K. Hampton in Corpus Christi federal court for their preliminary examination and detention hearing Friday morning.