WATER VALLEY, Miss.–It’s a year and a day in the federal lockup for a man who used to be one of Water Valley’s finest after he pleaded guilty to extortion, money laundering and obstruction of a federal investigation.
Former officer John David Hernandez, 35, of Olive Branch, got the sentence from a federal judge in Oxford Thursday. His guilty plea was in July.
The feds found out that Hernandez was taking money from a drug dealer and was giving him info from the law enforcement side, essentially so the dealer could get away with continuing to sell drugs.
“Hernandez’s actions were reprehensible,” said U.S. Atty. Felicia C. Adams. “He abused his authority, violated the law and the public trust. Today’s sentence demonstrates that such actions undermine the rule of law and will not be tolerated. While the majority of law enforcement officers are hardworking professionals who risk their lives daily for our safety, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those officers who break the law and violate the public trust.”
Hernandez will also pay $5,000 and serve three years supervised release.
