SAN BENITO — A judge has set a Feb. 13 trial for a 34-year-old San Benito woman after she pleaded not guilty to heroin possession stemming from a June arrest.
On Monday, 107th state District Judge Benjamin Euresti arraigned Roxann Villafranco, daughter of longtime San Benito City Commissioner Rene Villafranco, after appointing attorney Nat Perez to represent her.
Euresti set court announcements for Feb. 7.
Last month, a Cameron County grand jury handed down an indictment, charging Roxann Villafranco with possession of “one gram or more but less than four grams” of heroin, a third-degree felony.
On Wednesday, Rene Villafranco stated his daughter “has a personal problem that needs professional assistance.”
“She will go through the legal process like everyone else,” Rene Villafranco, the city’s mayor pro tem who was first elected in 2009, stated in a text message. “I love my daughter and will help her in getting assistance.”
The case stems from a June 7 shoplifting arrest in San Benito, Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said.
During an interview Wednesday, Saenz said San Benito police found 1.6 grams of heroin as they inventoried her possessions following her arrest at an H-E-B store.
“That is a substantial amount of heroin,” he said during an interview.
Saenz said police also found seven Xanax pills among her possessions.
Roxann Villafranco posted a $10,000 pre-trial release bond, court records show.
She could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
