Escobares police arrested a 23 year old Roma man. Cops say he poured gas on a tree at a home. They say he also threatened to hurt a woman and her family. It happened the night of July 15, 2026, at a home in Escobares.

James Alejandro Ojeda now faces one charge. It is called Terroristic Threat Causing Fear of Imminent Serious Bodily Injury. That means he is accused of scaring someone badly enough that they feared getting hurt. The charge falls under Texas Penal Code 22.07(c). It is a Class B misdemeanor. That charge can mean up to 180 days in jail. It can also mean a fine up to $2,000.

This case raises a hard question for this small Starr County community. Can gas poured near homes, mixed with threats, add up to real danger? Police say that is what happened here.

Officer Nohely Cantu works for the Escobares Police Department. The officer got a call about 9:53 p.m. that night. Someone said a man was pouring gas on a property. Cantu drove to the home. Cantu found Ojeda there.

Ojeda told the officer he poured gas on a tree on the property. He said his grandfather asked him to do it.

A 47 year old woman lives on that property. She gave the officer a different story. She said Ojeda's excuse was not true.

She told Cantu that Ojeda had been using drugs. She said he had been threatening to hurt her and her family before that night.

She said Ojeda poured the gas around trees close to the homes. She said the threats and the gas scared her badly. She was afraid he was going to set the property on fire.

She told the officer that people living there could get hurt badly if a fire started. She said she wanted to press charges against Ojeda.

A terroristic threat charge does not need someone to get hurt. Texas law says it covers threats that make another person truly scared of serious harm.

Escobares sits in Starr County. It is a tight knit place. Many families live near each other on shared land. A fight between family members there is not just a private matter. Gas poured near homes can turn a family fight into a fire that spreads fast to other homes close by.

The woman also said drug use played a part in why she was scared. That claim has not been proven in court. It is only what she told police.

A Class B misdemeanor is less serious than a felony. But it still carries real jail time. It also leaves a mark on someone's record. That record can make it harder to get some jobs later. It can also make it harder to rent a home.

Police have not said if Ojeda is out on bond. They have not set a court date yet. El Tejano will update this story if that changes.

Fights that involve fire, or even the threat of fire, are taken very seriously by police. Fire does not stay in one spot. It can spread fast in South Texas summer heat. Families who live close together on shared land often get little warning before something like this turns dangerous.

For now, one charge sits against Ojeda. The woman who called police said she wants to see the case through.

El Tejano will keep following this case in Escobares. Check back for updates as more facts come out.