HARRISON COUNTY, Texas — An East Texas man is behind bars after officials say he initially asked law enforcement for help after not paying his supplier for drugs.
According to the Harrison County Sheriff's Office, on Thursday around 2:40 p.m., a man, identified as Pedro Serrano, 32, went to their headquarters claiming to be in danger.
"He asked to speak with members of our Joint Harrison County Violent Crime & Narcotics Task Force because he was concerned with his safety," the HCSO said in a statement. "Task force investigators escorted Serrano to the sheriff’s office interview room, where they began interviewing him."
During the interview, the HCSO says Serrano said he had a large quantity of narcotics in his vehicle, which he parked outside. Authorities say Serrano was seeking protection from law enforcement after not paying his narcotics dealer.
"As the interview concluded and investigators began arresting Serrano for the narcotics, he began fighting them while inside the interview room," the HCSO said. "Serrano continued to resist even after several HCSO Investigators responded to assist. Serrano was eventually placed into custody and escorted to the Harrison County Jail."
The HCSO reports investigators executed a search warrant on Serrano’s vehicle, revealing approximately 825 grams of methamphetamine.
Serrano was charged with the following crimes:
- Possession of controlled substance
- Resisting arrest/search
“Law enforcement is a unique career, and every day is different, as this episode clearly shows," Sheriff BJ Fletcher said. "I am thankful these narcotics landed in our lap instead of the streets or lives of our community. Fortunately, none of my staff were injured during the struggle of trying to arrest this suspect.”