A south Houston woman who ran at federal agents while brandishing an unsheathed machete has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal officer. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake handed down the sentence to 29-year-old Jennifer Jesselle Perez-Rodriguez, who had entered her guilty plea on June 11.
The sentencing, reported by Click2Houston, closes out a case that began on April 17, 2025, near Milan Drive and East Anderson Road, where federal agents from the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations were wrapping up a welfare check on unaccompanied immigrant children living at a nearby trailer park. Agents were checking addresses and living conditions of immigrant minors residing with sponsors when the confrontation unfolded, according to the same report.
A Machete, Two Vehicles, and a Shot Fired
During the incident, Perez-Rodriguez walked into the roadway holding the unsheathed machete and ran toward two unmarked law enforcement vehicles, ignoring verbal commands to drop the weapon, per Click2Houston's account. Agents activated a vehicle siren, and when the threat continued, an FBI agent opened his vehicle door and shot her in the torso, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Testimony presented in federal court revealed that shortly before approaching the agents, Perez-Rodriguez had been involved in a physical fight outside a nearby grocery store, where she was allegedly punched and kicked by three to five people, the Chronicle reported. Store staff had reported that she was initiating arguments inside the store earlier that day, the outlet noted. Investigators found no connection between Perez-Rodriguez and the federal welfare-check operation itself, according to the research record tied to the case.
Mental Health Concerns Raised in Court
At a May 2025 federal detention hearing, a federal public defender requested that Perez-Rodriguez receive court-ordered mental health and substance abuse treatment while in custody. U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Bennett ultimately ordered her held without bond pending trial, the earlier Click2Houston report on the case indicated.
The 14-month sentence stands well below the maximum penalty available under the law she pleaded guilty to violating. Under 18 U.S.C. § 111(b), forcibly assaulting or impeding a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon carries a statutory maximum of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Legal analysis from Eisner Gorin LLP notes that under the statute, physical contact with an agent isn't required to sustain a conviction — brandishing a weapon or advancing aggressively while officers are carrying out their duties can satisfy the law's forcible-act requirement.
Federal Investigation and Prosecution
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Houston Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, per the Justice Department. Following sentencing, Perez-Rodriguez was ordered to remain in custody pending assignment and transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, Click2Houston reported.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Machete Incidents in Harris County
The case adds to a string of violent machete incidents that Harris County law enforcement has confronted in recent years. As Hoodline previously reported, a North Harris County suspect was arrested in August 2026 and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a $200,000 bond after county deputies disarmed him following a street pursuit on Cypresswood Drive.
