A Rio Grande City man is facing two felony charges. Deputies say Francisco Cardenas, 25, stalked his ex-girlfriend for months. As deputies walked him into the Starr County Jail, he tried to hide a vape pen. It was full of THC oil.

This is not the first time Cardenas has been accused of bothering the same woman, Martinez, 26. She first went to the Starr County Sheriff's Office on June 23, 2026. She reported harassment that day. Weeks later, deputies say things got worse. It ended with him outside her home at midnight. Deputies were already at her house that night. That is how they were able to arrest him so fast.

On August 3, 2026, at about 11:14 p.m., deputies went to Martinez's home in Rio Grande City. She told them her ex-boyfriend had been stalking her. She said he kept texting and calling from different phone numbers.

Cardenas had just gotten a new phone number, deputies say. Martinez told them she got many calls from that number. She also got a text from it. The text said he would follow her. It said he did not care if he went to jail.

Just after midnight on August 4, Martinez called deputies again. Her dogs were barking. She said Cardenas was outside her house. She said she was scared. She had told him to stop, but he would not leave her alone. She also got a text from someone who said they were his friend. That text said Cardenas was outside her house too.

Deputy Jesus Carmona was at Martinez's home when it happened. At the same time, Deputy Joel Garza found Cardenas nearby. Garza pulled him over. Cardenas did not fight back. Deputies put him in handcuffs. They arrested him for stalking. That is a felony charge. It can mean 2 to 10 years in prison.

The stalking report points to an earlier case too. That case is number 2026-01377. A different deputy filed it. Reports like this help deputies show a pattern over time.

Cardenas was not done causing trouble. Deputy Carmona walked him into the Starr County Jail on the stalking charge. On the way in, Carmona saw Cardenas move his left leg again and again. Cardenas also took off one shoe. Once inside, the deputy found a vape device on the floor. It was blue and white. Cardenas had been standing right there. The vape had a thick, yellow substance on it. It looked like honey. Deputies ran a field test on the substance. The test used a kit called a Mobildetect pouch. It showed the substance was THC. THC is the chemical that gets people high in marijuana.

Cardenas now faces a second charge. It is delivery of a controlled substance. The drug was less than one gram of THC. This charge is a lower level felony. It can mean up to two years in state jail.

Stalking cases like this one often build up slowly. An arrest can take weeks or months. Under Texas law, a person commits stalking when they keep contacting or following someone. The contact has to make that person fear for their safety. Old reports, like the one Martinez filed in June, can help build a stronger case.

Cardenas remains in the Starr County Jail. He faces two charges. One is stalking, a third degree felony. The other is delivery of a controlled substance, a state jail felony. It is not yet clear when he goes to court. El Tejano will keep following this case as it moves through the Starr County court system.