Mercedes Police Officer Jesus Ramirez was arrested for public intoxication on January 18, 2021 according to a press release issued by the Mercedes Police Department (MPD) yesterday. According to the release, Officer Ramirez called several MPD officers and MPD communications trying to get a ride home from the Dollar General store. As information came in they learned that Ramirez was involved in a drunken argument with his wife inside the store. MPD alerted the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department of the situation because by the time Ramirez called he was located in Weslaco which is outside MPD jurisdiction. Eventually MPD officers found Ramirez outside the Stripes convenience store in Mercedes. Officers reported that Ramirez showed signs of intoxication. Rather than cut one of their own a break, officers transported him back to Weslaco where he was arrested by the Weslaco Police Department (WPD) on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.
After his arrest, MPD learned that Ramirez had been drinking in Mexico with his wife and another family member. The couple then came back to America and found themselves arguing at the Dollar General in Progreso. We are not sure how he managed to find his way back to Mercedes without a ride. Officer Ramirez has since been "separated from his employment as a police officer for the City of Mercedes."
We have been unable to locate Officer Ramirez's mugshot. We checked the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office jail records page but could find no recent bookings on bonds posted for anyone named Jesus Ramirez. We will keep looking for his mugshot because we suspect based on the nature of the charges that is is probably hilarious.