SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio attorney has been arrested on multiple weapons charges, days after a Bexar County court security monitor found a gun inside the man’s briefcase.
Joseph Anthony “Tony” Hernandez, 57, was arrested Wednesday on charges of possessing a weapon in a prohibited place and unlawful carry of a weapon, a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office spokesman confirmed.
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The weapon in a prohibited place charge is a felony, while unlawful carry is a misdemeanor.
Records show on Dec. 12, a security monitor working inside the Cadena Reeves Justice Center discovered the weapon as Hernandez’s briefcase passed through an X-ray machine.
A BCSO spokesman later identified the weapon as a pistol.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation said that Hernandez was magistrated at the courthouse by District Court Judge Ron Rangel but then released from custody without being formally booked.
When asked last week if he magistrated Hernandez, Rangel said, “no comment.”
Officials with the Bexar County District Clerk’s office confirmed last week that their office had not received any record of Hernandez being arrested or charged.
When asked for clarification on how Hernandez was handled after the weapon was found, a BCSO spokesman said the suspect was released, and investigators made the determination to file the case with the district attorney’s office for further investigation.
Records show Hernandez was instead formally booked on Wednesday.
The same spokesman said via text message Friday that other cases of weapons being brought into the courthouse have been filed in a similar manner.
The KSAT 12 Defenders asked for a list of similar cases that have been filed at large, but have so far not been provided that information.
Hernandez did not respond to a request for comment left with his law office Friday afternoon.