A jury trial in Brazos County district court scheduled for last week was cancelled following a plea agreement on a charge of sexual assault with a child. 54 year old Albert Toledo Hernandez Jr. of Bryan was sentenced to 17 years for the contact with a 15 year old girl that took place more than five and a half years ago. According to the district attorney’s office, three other women said they were abused by Hernandez. Those cases were not allowed to go to trial because the statue of limitations had expired…something that the legislature and the governor eliminated two years ago. Those women did submit victim impact statements that were considered in Hernandez’s punishment. Hernandez also waived his right to appeal as part of the agreement.
A Bryan man on parole for burglarizing two homes admits to a vehicle burglary and three other crimes that took place in April of last year. 23 year old Shonley Ballom entered a plea agreement with the Brazos County district attorney’s office where he was sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison. Ballom was arrested after Bryan police responded to a citizen’s report of seeing door handles being
pulled during daylight hours in the area of Cavitt and Sulphur Springs. Ballom was also found guilty of evading arrest with prior convictions, stealing a gun, and being in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
Brazos County district attorney’s office news release about Albert Toledo Hernandez Jr.:
Albert Hernandez, 54, was sentenced to 17 years in prison by Judge John Brick. Hernandez pled guilty to two counts of Sexual Assault of a Child. Hernandez faced a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
On September 27, 2015, a 15 year old girl disclosed to her mother that an acquaintance of the family had touched her inappropriately. She identified Hernandez as her abuser. During the investigation, Hernandez’s DNA was collected on clothing items worn by the victim. When confronted by police, Hernandez confessed to inappropriately touching the child.
On August 23, 2017 Texas Rangers conducting a follow-up investigation interviewed a 27-year-old family member of Hernandez, who disclosed that Hernandez had abused her as a child, beginning when she was 14 or 15 years old. The woman had never reported the abuse prior to investigators contacting her. Additionally, investigators discovered two other family members whom Hernandez abused as children. Both women, now in their 30’s, spoke with investigators and detailed the abuse inflicted by Hernandez.
Due to the age of those cases, Texas’ statute of limitations prevented prosecutors from filing additional charges against Hernandez based upon the new disclosures.
Three of the victims read victim impact statements during Hernandez’s sentencing, and all three were prepared to testify at Hernandez’s trial, had he not pled guilty.
Hernandez also waived appeal as a part of his plea.
Brazos County district attorney’s office news release about Shonley Ballom:
On Thursday, April 15, 2021, Associate Judge Swan sentenced Shonley Ballom to 16 years in prison for Burglary of a Habitation and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
On Wednesday, April 15, 2020, Bryan Police Department Officers investigated a Burglary of a Habitation. The victims, a husband and wife, reported being in their bedroom around 6 a.m. when they heard footsteps approaching their bedroom door. The couple chased the suspect out of their home, before realizing that the burglar had taken a cellphone from their living room.
Bryan Police Department detectives recovered the stolen phone from a ditch near the victim’s residence. A warrant for Ballom’s arrest was issued after his fingerprint was found on the recovered cell phone.
On April 22, 2020, Officers located Ballom after a Bryan resident reported a suspicious male attempting to access vehicles by pulling on the handles of car doors. Officers made contact with Ballom, who then fled on foot.
While pursuing Ballom, Bryan Police officers saw Ballom throw a handgun in the yard of a home. After recovering the handgun, it was determined that the firearm had recently been stolen from a vehicle earlier that morning. After a foot chase Ballom was taken into custody at the Brazos County Jail where he remained pending trial.
In October 2017, Ballom was sentenced to seven years in prison for two Burglary of a Habitation cases. As a result of his prior convictions, Ballom was still on parole and legally prohibited from possessing a
firearm.