Inset left: Daisy Hernandez (McLennan County Jail). Inset right: LucyAnn Sanchez-Miramontez (McLennan County). Background: Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Court in Waco, Tex. (Google Maps).
A Texas woman was recently arrested after threatening to shoot a judge during a truancy hearing, Lone Star State authorities say.
Daisy Hernandez, 19, stands accused of one count of terroristic threat against a public servant, according to law enforcement.
The underlying incident occurred on Thursday, according to arrest records obtained by Waco-based CBS and Telemundo affiliate KWTX.
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The hearing in question was being held in Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Court. During the hearing, Justice of the Peach LucyAnn Sanchez-Miramontez asked a member of Hernandez”s family why her children were not attending school.
The defendant’s mother reportedly began speaking but the justice of the peace was soon looking elsewhere.
One of Hernandez’s brothers “caught the attention of the judge by smiling visibly and silently laughing,” an arrest affidavit reads. Then, the justice of the peace paused the hearing to address the disturbance – reportedly telling the boy to stop laughing or to leave.
That interjection allegedly did not go over well.
“(He) didn’t stop,” the affidavit reads. “Judge told the defendants that she will be taking care of this by sending their mother to jail for 6 days due to ignoring a court order for truancy. Daisy stated aloud to the Judge, ‘You can’t do that.’ Judge responded, ‘Yes I can.'”
Some time passed and the defendant allegedly went on “to yell” at the justice of the peace; Sanchez-Miramontez reportedly became so frustrated she broke her judge’s gavel trying to silence the growing furor by repeatedly pounding it down on her sound block.
Eventually, the irate judicial officer ordered deputies to remove the Hernandez family from the courtroom – which they did.
The defendant apparently took affront to the removal and as she was being escorted out, allegedly said: “I’m gonna shoot this b–.”
“Did she say that?” the by-now confounded justice of the peace said in response to the alleged threat.
Witnesses in the courtroom would go on to provide statements about the incident, according to the affidavit.
“When things calmed down, I asked Daisy why she told the judge she was gonna shoot her,” the affidavit, penned by a deputy constable, goes on. “Daisy stated, ‘I don’t know. I was mad.'”
As it turned out, the underlying incident was eventually settled.
On Friday, Sanchez-Miramontez said Hernandez’s mother was in court to address previous truancy allegations – but ultimately provided documentation her children had started going to school.
“I give families every opportunity and offer them every community resource to comply with court orders,” the judge said, according to KWTX.
The defendant was originally jailed on $5,000 bond, the TV station reported.
The charges against Hernandez do not currently appear on the McLennan County criminal court docket and the defendant is not currently listed as an inmate in the McLennan County Jail.
