The woman accused of threatening a federal agent with an unsheathed machete, Jennifer Jesselle Perez Rodriguez, appeared in federal court for a detention hearing Tuesday morning, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with her hair styled in a bun atop her head.
FIRST REPORT: Federal agent involved in shooting outside Del Papa Food Store; Woman hospitalized
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The 28-year-old was handcuffed and shackled as her public defender argued she needs mental health and drug abuse treatment after being charged with assaulting a federal officer on April 17.
The incident happened in south Houston near Milan Drive and East Anderson Drive as federal agents concluded a welfare check for unaccompanied children at a nearby trailer park.
During the detention hearing, FBI special agent Alexander Rayas testified that he doesn’t know the outcome of the welfare check(s) or any arrest information, but said that agents from the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations were checking on immigrant minors who had entered the country with a sponsor to find out if the addresses for the children were still accurate and to ensure they were “safe and secure.”
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Rayas claimed he doesn’t recall the name of the FBI agent who fired their weapon, but said he doesn’t know why Perez Rodriguez may have made a threat to the agent.
Her defense attorney argued that just before the shooting, she had been “brutally assaulted” by a group of people in the parking lot of the Del Papa food store, and it was unclear which direction the attackers went after.
She was kicked, punched, and fell to the ground during the attack by three to five men and possibly women, Rayas said.
After the attack, and as agents were leaving the area of the welfare check, Perez Rodriguez emerged onto the road wielding a machete. According to Rayas, she advanced toward an FBI agent in an unmarked vehicle, waving the machete and ignoring commands to drop the weapon.
The store owner told investigators that while he had known her for 10 years without any problems, that day, she was harassing customers and trying to start fights inside the store, according to testimony in court.
Rayas admitted that no federal officer was ever physically assaulted, but that the agent who fired was subjected to fear.
Federal prosecutors maintained that Rodriguez posed a danger to the community, citing her history of harassment and prior arrests. They expressed concerns about her potential flight risk, noting that most of her family resides in Mexico, she’s been unemployed, and that she had active warrants for failure to appear in state court.
KPRC 2 News has confirmed that she had active warrants out of Galveston County after an investigation by the Texas City Police Department. She was charged with assault involving family violence in April of 2024, but she hadn’t been arrested on those charges.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Bennett ultimately ruled that there were no conditions that could reasonably assure the safety of the community. Citing the evidence and testimony presented, the judge remanded Rodriguez into custody, pending trial.
The public defender expressed concern that prosecutors will have a difficult time proving that the law enforcement agents were engaged in official duty at the time of the shooting, since the welfare check had been completed, and they were leaving.
No trial date has been scheduled. Perez Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.