Jose Eduardo Alvarez, 34, is charged with robbery. Deputies say he grabbed a woman's fanny pack at gunpoint in Roma. He now faces a serious felony charge. It can mean 2 to 20 years in prison.

It happened Saturday night into early Sunday. The date was July 25 and 26, 2026. Deputies got the call around 10 p.m. They rushed to a business in Roma.

A case like this hits home for South Texas families. It shows how fast a normal night can turn scary. Starr County deputies patrol miles of small towns and back roads. Cases like this test how fast they can respond.

According to a complaint written by Deputy Javier Trevino, the victim was sitting down. It was around 9:45 p.m. at the business. A man walked up from behind her.

The man pressed something against her neck, deputies say. She believed it was a handgun. It touched the right side of her neck. She told deputies she feared for her life in that moment.

While she was scared for her safety, the man grabbed her fanny pack, deputies say. It was black. He then ran on foot into the brush. That brush sat west of the business.

The fanny pack held about $1,000 in cash.

The victim is 25 years old. She later looked at a photo. She picked out Alvarez as the man who robbed her, the complaint says.

The complaint does not say if the gun was real. Deputies only say the victim believed it was a handgun. It was pressed against her neck.

Alvarez, of Rio Grande City, is charged under Texas Penal Code 29.02. That law covers robbery. Robbery means using or threatening force to take property. It also means putting someone in fear of harm. It carries more prison time than a simple theft charge. That is because of the threat of violence.

Texas law treats robbery as more serious than plain theft. A person does not have to hurt anyone. All it takes is fear. The victim must feel scared of getting hurt while property is taken. That fear is what raises the charge and the prison time.

Cases like this are not rare in Starr County. Many local businesses sit close to open brush and farmland. That can give a suspect a fast way out on foot. Deputies often have only minutes to respond. A suspect can disappear fast, as the complaint says happened here.

Roma sits along the Rio Grande in Starr County. It is a border community. Deputies cover long stretches of road there. Small businesses sit near open land. That mix can make a night robbery hard to catch in the act. It also means witnesses and photos matter a lot. A photo helped identify Alvarez in this case. Evidence like that often builds a case after the fact.

A robbery charge carries real weight in Texas courts. A conviction can mean years behind bars. The charge alone can also affect bond. It can affect travel too. It can even affect where someone can work while the case moves forward. Judges often weigh the use of a weapon. That is true whether the weapon was real or only believed to be real.

El Tejano does not have information yet on Alvarez's bond status. There is no word yet on any court dates in this case. The Starr County Sheriff's Office has not released more details beyond the complaint.

This story will be updated if more facts come out. Anyone with information about this case should contact the Starr County Sheriff's Office.