Texas national guardsman arrested for smuggling immigrant

VAL VERDE, Texas - A National Guardsman finds himself behind bars in Val Verde County Jail after being apprehended for smuggling an undocumented immigrant.

Savion Amari Donovan Johnson, 26, was taken into custody on Sunday following a high-speed pursuit along Highway 90 in Kinney County, initiated by DPS troopers. The chase was set in motion when Johnson abruptly turned around at a checkpoint.

According to reports, Johnson halted the chase midway to drop off a Hispanic man before attempting to evade authorities.

The gravity of the situation prompted a response from Governor Abbott's office, saying, "If the allegations are true, the accused is a traitor and criminal. We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking the achieve. The accused's illegal smuggling may subject him to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 10 years. He deserves more."

Johnson, who was deployed in McAllen as part of Operation Lone Star, now faces state charges, as confirmed by Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe.