‘Port runner’ pleads not guilty

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who allegedly raced across the Roma bridge to stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection from searching his truck pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Jose Angel Barrera, 31, of Roma drove a white 2025 Toyota Tundra across the bridge on Oct. 7. Customs and Border Protection sent Barrera to secondary inspection, where a scan revealed “anomalies” in his spare tire.

Officers told Barrera to turn off the truck.

Barrera responded “no problem,” according to the criminal complaint, and reached for the button.

Instead of hitting the button, Barrera “put the vehicle in drive and fled the inspection area at a high rate of speed,” according to the criminal complaint. He ignored a stop sign on Estrella Street and sped away.

Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, charged Barrera with evading an immigration checkpoint in a vehicle at high speed, which is a federal felony.

Barrera remained on the run until Oct. 27, when he self-surrendered.

What happened to his spare tire — and the “anomalies” it contained — remains unclear.

Barrera appeared before a judge at the federal courthouse in McAllen on Thursday afternoon for arraignment.

“Not guilty,” Barrera said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Avery Benitez told a judge that Barrera should be held without bond.

Barrera’s decision to speed across the Roma bridge shows that he’s a flight risk, Benitez said.

A report prepared by U.S. Pretrial Services raised additional questions about Barrera.

In September, a woman accused Barrera of slapping her and cutting up several pairs of her jeans, according to documents released by the Starr County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office charged Barrera with assault, a Class A misdemeanor, and criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor.

Attorney Jose Maria “Chema” Garza Jr. of Rio Grande City, who represents Barrera, asked the judge to set bond.

Barrera graduated from Roma High School and became a welder. He’s got a wife and children, Garza said, along with a $250,000 home in the United States.

The most important factor in setting bond, Garza said, may be the charge itself.

Guidelines published by the U.S. Sentencing Commission would recommend a sentence of just 0 to 6 months if Barrera pleaded guilty and received credit for acceptance of responsibility, Garza said.

Benitez, the federal prosecutor, appeared to agree with that assessment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker noted that Barrera hadn’t been charged with anything related to drugs.

“He got away,” Hacker said, and wasn’t caught with whatever had been detected in the spare tire.

Hacker said he would take the decision under advisement.