| Inmate name: | Luis Carlos Hernandez |
| Charge description: | On July 21, 2014, 268th District Court Judge Brady Elliott sentenced Luis Carlos Hernandez to 17 years in prison for Aggravated Robbery. Hernandez, a 30 year-old Alief-area man, was first convicted on May 2, 2014 by a Fort Bend County jury for stealing over $20,000 from a Bank of America at gunpoint in December 2012. During Hernandezs trial last May, jurors heard evidence from eyewitnesses who saw the defendant rush inside the bank waving a black semi-automatic pistol demanding the bank tellers give him money in $50 and $100 bills. After grabbing more than $20,000, Hernandez ran out of the bank and eluded police by running through heavy traffic before jumping into a getaway car. Police arrested Hernandez a short time later after tracing the cars registration to a home where they caught the defendant with the stolen money and the gun. Electing for the court to assess his punishment in a separate hearing scheduled for today, Hernandez listened to Assistant District Attorney Thomas Pfeiffer offer evidence of a prior prison sentence Hernandez served for a felony theft conviction. A court-ordered pre-sentence investigation also revealed the defendant had a history of drug use. While the prosecution argued that Hernandezs history of criminal activity justified a stiff prison sentence, the defendants mother and common law wife asked the court for mercy. The defense asked the court to give Hernandez a second chance and recommended a sentence between 5 and 10 years. To conclude the hearing, Judge Elliott stated that a bank is a place where people should be able to transact business peacefully and then sentenced the defendant to 17 years in prison. Aggravated robbery in this case is a first-degree felony punishable by 5 99 years or life in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Hernandez was not probation eligible. At trial the defense claimed that Hernandez was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and was the victim of a cover-up, said lead prosecutor Thomas Pfeiffer. But today the defense argued that the case was about second chances and little prison time. I dont think the defendant needs a second chance to wave a gun in someone elses face, so the more prison time the better. Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Pfeiffer and Abdul Farukhi prosecuted the case. Attorney Donald Bankston represented the defendant. |
| Booking location: | Fort Bend County, TX |
