Crime · Houston, TX
ICE Officer Turns Self In Over Houston SUV Assault Charge
Mario Alberto Morales, a 33-year-old U.S. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer, turned himself in Monday and appeared before Judge Matthew Peneguy on a felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge for striking Mexican construction worker Miguel Parra Hernandez with an unmarked SUV during a parking-lot chase in Houston on Oct. 10. A grand jury indicted Morales on Friday; bond was set at $30,000, below the $75,000 prosecutors requested from the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Surveillance video reportedly shows Morales' vehicle driving over a median and hitting Parra Hernandez as he ran away, contradicting ICE's account that the worker ran in front of the vehicle. Parra Hernandez, 48, broke his leg and is recovering at a rehabilitation facility while in federal custody.