🚨 A public intoxication arrest in Roma turned into a felony. Police say a man spit on an officer. He did it through the cage of a patrol car.
Roma Police got a call on August 16. It was about an aggressive man on Escobares Loop. This is according to a criminal complaint obtained by El Tejano. A caller told officers the man had been causing trouble.
👀 Officers found the man on the road. Police say he could not stand straight. His eyes were red. His words were slurred. Officers named him as Juan Jose Narvaez, 33. They arrested him for public intoxication.
✋ Then things got physical. Officers tried to put on the handcuffs. Police say Narvaez stiffened his arms. He would not let them cuff him. Officers took him to the ground. They told him to put his hands behind his back. Instead, he tucked his arms to his chest, the complaint says. He now faces a charge of Resisting Arrest. That is a Class A misdemeanor.
🚔 The bigger charge came after the arrest. Officers put Narvaez in patrol car 126. They were driving him to the Roma police station. Police say that during the ride, Narvaez spit through the cage. The spit hit an officer's hair.
⚖️ In Texas, spitting on a police officer is not a small thing. It falls under a law called Harassment of a Public Servant. When the officer is on duty, the law makes it a third degree felony. That charge alone can mean two to ten years in prison.
Narvaez now faces two charges from the same night. One is Resisting Arrest, a Class A misdemeanor. The other is Harassment of a Public Servant, a third degree felony.
🍺 Public intoxication is usually a small charge in Texas. It is normally just a fine. What happened after the arrest is what made this case so much bigger for Narvaez.
El Tejano got these complaints through a public records request. His case is still pending in Starr County court. He has not been convicted of anything. Every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
📍 Escobares Loop, Roma, Texas 🗓️ August 16, 2026
