Rio Hondo man arrested after barricading in home

Aug. 31—RIO HONDO — A Rio Hondo man is accused of the indecent assault of a woman at a store before police arrested him following five hours of negotiations after he barricaded himself in his house.

Antonio Perez, 42, is accused of indecent assault, unlawful restraint and evading arrest after police responded to a call about a possible sexual assault at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at a Stripes convenience store at 28281 E. Colorado Ave., officials stated in a press release.

Police took the man to the Rucker-Carrizales Detention Center in Brownsville.

The woman, whose relationship with Perez was unclear, was uninjured, Police Chief William Bilokury said Wednesday.

"While the officers were trying to make contact with the victim, the suspect feld in his vehicle," a press release states.

Then Perez led police on a "short, slow pursuit" to a house at 121 Robert Garza St., the release states.

"The suspect fled into the residence and proceeded to barricade himself inside," the release states.

At the scene, about 20 officers along with SWAT teams with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Cameron County Sheriff's Department stood by as authorities worked five hours to negotiate Perez's arrest, said Bilokury, who added the man was unarmed.

School secured

Meanwhile, the Rio Hondo school district's police officers "secured" nearby Rio Hondo Elementary school, Bilokury said.

"The nearby elementary school was secured by the Rio Hondo ISD police, with no direct threat posed toward the school or its occupants," the press release states.

Nature of relationship unclear

Officials are trying to determine the relationship between Perez and the woman, who was not his wife or girlfriend, Bilokury said.

"We haven't determined the exact nature of the relationship," he said.