Tyler man indicted for manslaughter in connection with death of teen struck by boat on Lake Palestine
Published 4:30 pm Friday, September 20, 2019
- The Smith County Courthouse in downtown Tyler is shown. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph/File)
A 31-year-old Tyler man has been indicted by a Smith County grand jury on a manslaughter charge in connection with the June 2 death of a 14-year-old Tyler boy.
The grand jury handed up Jeffrey Joe Hampton’s indictment for the charges of manslaughter and accidental boating death.
Roberto Carlos Bermejo Hernandez, a Moore Middle School student, was struck and killed by a bass boat while swimming at Lake Palestine, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.
The boat that hit the teen left the scene before authorities arrived. The death occurred at Lakeway Harbor off State Highway 155, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.
Hampton was arrested June 3 by Texas Parks and Wildlife and booked into Smith County Jail, according to jail records. He has a bond of $750,000 for the manslaughter charge and $250,000 for the boating death charge, according to the indictment.
In all, the Smith County grand jury handed up indictments for 27 people on 31 felony charges in its Aug. 22 session.
Other indictments include:
Erin Ashby, 29, of Tyler, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
Amanda Cain, 38, of Tyler, theft
Stuart Campbell, 29, of Longview, possession of a controlled substance
Richard Dykes, 54, of Tyler, manufacture delivery of a controlled substance
Shakala Jones, 22, of Tyler, indecency with a child
Corey Jordan, 34, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Cayla Kennimer, 29, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Johnathan Lee, 36, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Taylor Lira, 28, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Coulter Luce, 39, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Triston Marshall, 20, of Grand Saline, possession of a controlled substance
Cristian Martinez, 21, of Tyler, burglary of a habitation
Justin Meador, 27, of Tyler, criminal mischief, theft, possession of a controlled substance and prohibited substance/item in a correctional facility
Alan Medina, 26, of Tyler, driving while intoxicated third or more time
Jordan Medford, 30, of Troup, forgery financial instrument
Jnieva Pannell, 28, of Tyler, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
Earl Reynolds, 41, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Randy Riley, 53, of Trenton, Georgia, possession of a controlled substance
Emanuel Rioyos-Espinoza, 25, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Leodegario Rodriguez, 27, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Windell Simmons, 36, of Tyler, indecency with a child sexual contact
John Thull, 47, of Arlington, theft
Chance Wilkerson, 36, of Tyler, possession of a controlled substance
Cashondra Williams, 51, of Dallas, forgery financial instrument
Bryan Wynn, 34, of Tyler, burglary of a habitation
Shae Young, 43, of Bullard, driving while intoxicated for a third time or more
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