Woman pleads guilty to punching trooper, kicking ICE officer

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 41-year-old mother of four pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to punching a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and kicking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and will now face sentencing.

News4JAX tried to speak to Jennifer Cruz as she exited the courtroom, but she had no comment.

Back in January, Cruz pleaded not guilty to the charge and despite arguments from federal prosecutors that Cruz posed a flight risk because of connections to Mexico, a federal judge ruled Monday that she can be released on an unsecured $50,000 bond -- meaning she won’t have to pay any money upfront, which is not uncommon in federal cases.

“She’s a mother of four, small business owner. She’s very gratified to get back to her family and her business and attend to both of those important responsibilities,” Cruz’s attorney Alan Ceballos said.

Cruz will have to abide by a myriad of conditions during her release, including reporting in person for all pre-trial hearings, surrendering her passport, restricting her travel to what federal courts consider the Middle District of Florida (which stretches from Jacksonville to Ft. Myers), refraining from the use of drugs or alcohol and submitting to drug tests.

When the judge asked Cruz during the detention hearing why she should be released pending her trial, she replied, “This is a horrible incident. It won’t happen again. You won’t see me again. I’m sorry.”

Categories: Crime & Lawlessness

Tags: ice Arrest