A Harlingen mother remains behind bars after she allegedly fought with deputies who had detained her son.
Cameron County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested 35-year-old Elizabeth Valdez on multiple criminal charges over the weekend.
Court records released Monday show that it all started late Friday night when her juvenile son was detained by deputies.
The 14-year-old boy was a passenger car pulled over for failing to dim his headlights for oncoming traffic.
Deputies found marijuana in the car and detained the driver and all the passengers.
Valdez went to a sheriff’s department substation at the Cameron County Annex off Wilson Road to pick up her son but refused to show her ID.
Court records allege she was aggressive, uncooperative and even tried to take her son by force.
Deputies tried to stop her and she allegedly responded by fighting and struggling with them.
Charges
Authorities charged her with two counts of attempted assault of a peace officer, failure to identify, resisting arrest and interfering with public duties.
Investigators learned that Valdez was also wanted for an aggravated assault warrant.
Public records show that Valdez has a criminal history that includes resisting arrest and aggravated assault going back to 1994.
Valdez appeared before Cameron County Magistrate Judge Luis Saenz on Saturday morning where he was issued $27,500 dollars in bonds.
Family Responds
Valdez's husband Cruz Aguiñaga told Action 4 News that his family plans to hire an attorney to get surveillance video and dispute the deputies' version of events.
Aguiñaga said he was working and his wife received a late night call from deputies to come pick up their son.
Valdez was reluctant to go because she had taken medication for bipolar depression and schizophrenia.
Aguiñaga said deputies threatened to call Child Protective Services, if she didn't come.
Valdez went to the substation with her 12-year-old daughter but had left her identification at home.
Aguiñaga said deputies had told his wife that all she had to do was come by and pick their son.
But when she got there, deputies asked Valdez to come inside and wanted her to show identification.
Valdez was leaving when deputies grabbed her.
Her 14-year-old son jumped in to defend his mother and deputies responded by restraining him by putting a boot in his face.
Aguiñaga said all of it took place in front of his 12-year-old daughter.
Surveillance Video
Aguiñaga said the incident may have been caught on security cameras and they plan to hire an attorney to get a copy to see if it will prove their version of events.
The Harlingen man said his wife was on probation for an aggravated assault case but had fallen behind on monthly payments prompting the warrant for her arrest.
Aguiñaga said his wife does not work and is on disability for bipolar depression and schizophrenia and doesn't have the means to pay back the tens of thousands of dollars in fines and restitution.
The Harlingen father said his 18-year-old daughter are taking care of the rest of the family's children while Valdez remains in custody at the Cameron County Jail.
Aguiñaga said he is also concerned that his wife is not received her medication for bipolar depression and schizophrenia while in jail.
Action 4 News has filed an inquiry about Valdez's medication and the surveillance video with the Cameron County Sheriff's Department.
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