Ernesto Galvan File Photo
A man arrested for a weekend Amber Alert in Harlingen has a long criminal history that includes an arrest in an attempted murder case.
Harlingen police arrested 34-year-old Ernesto Galvan under an enticing a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child charges.
Investigators told Action 4 News that police and a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent located Galvan at a home on the 300 block of East Madison Street in Harlingen.
Police said Galvan is the suspect in a missing child case that prompted an Amber Alert for a missing Harlingen girl last week.
State authorities issued an Amber Alert for 12-year-old Estrella Rodriguez on the night of Friday, May 14th.
Rodriguez was last seen with Galvan in a red Chevy Blazer.
Family members initially reported her missing four days earlier but authorities did not issue the Amber Alert until that night.
Police found 12-year-old Rodriguez at Harlingen City Lake during the early morning hours of Saturday, May 15th.
Investigators told Action 4 News that she had been dropped off there.
Galvan appeared before Harlingen Municipal Court Judge Travis Bence on Friday morning.
Judge Bence gave Galvan $100,500 dollars in bonds.
Public records show that Galvan is no stranger to police.
Records show that he had been arrested at least eight times since 1993 on charges by five different police agencies across the Rio Grande Valley.
The charges range from attempted murder to theft to marijuana to evading arrest:
Date | Charge | Agency | Sentence |
Dec. 15, 1993 | Attempted Murder | Cameron County SO | 5 years |
June 17, 1997 | Marijuana (Class B) | La Feria PD | 30 days |
Sept. 21, 2000 | Marijuana (Class B) | Santa Rosa PD | 90 days |
Sept. 21, 2000 | Evading Arrest | Santa Rosa PD | 90 days |
March 4, 2002 | Burglary of a Building | Santa Rosa PD | 20 months |
Oct. 25, 2005 | Theft (Class B) | McAllen PD | 16 days |
April 14, 2008 | Theft (State Jail Felony) | Harlingen PD | 12 months |
March 25, 2009 | Theft (Class B) | Harlingen PD | 5 months, 2 days |
| | | |
Court records show that Blas Garcia Jr., Jose Luis Garcia, Plutarco Garcia and Eliseo Garza III were all listed as victims in the attempted murder case.
Records show that a plea agreement was made in the case to where Galvan was sentenced to five years for aggravated assault back in August 1994.
Galvan received time served for his initial December 1993 arrest case and got out of prison early.
Court records show that he has been in and out of jail ever since.
Action 4 News will post more information as it becomes available.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT