Border Patrol agents arrested a soldier who allegedly attempted to bring two undocumented aliens through a Texas checkpoint Sept. 11, hiding them in a pickup truck he was driving while wearing an Army uniform, according to a court document.
The criminal complaint, posted online by Bretibart Texas, details the arrest of Pvt. 2 Eric Alexander Rodriguez at the Sarita checkpoint, saying his passengers were "concealed on the floorboard behind the front seat ... under a bed sheet and a military jacket" bearing Rodriguez' name tag.
Rodriguez is assigned to A Company, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, a Fort Hood spokesman confirmed to Army Times on Wednesday afternoon.
Rodriguez lived in Angleton, Texas — about an hour south of Houston — when he enlisted in 2012, personnel records show. An ammunition specialist, he has been with his current unit since April 2013.
One of the passengers told Border Patrol agents that he had paid $3,000 for the crossing, according to the criminal complaint, and "identified Rodriguez as the driver of the truck who picked up both of the illegal aliens and transported them further north."
Rodriguez was held in Cameron County Jail on a charge of smuggling aliens, according to the jail's website. He appeared in court Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya, who determined there was probable cause. Rodriguez was permitted release upon posting a $25,000 bond.
