Former Water Valley Officer Pleads Guilty

WATER VALLEY, Miss. (WCBI) — A former Water Valley Police officer pleads guilty to federal extortion and bribery charges.

John Hernandez, 34, who goes by the street name “Race Motor,” pleaded guilty to extorting $5,000 from a drug dealer suspected of running drugs from Texas to Mississippi and of trying to block a federal investigation into the suspect.

The 1997 graduate of Water Valley High faces up to 45 years in prison and as much as $1 million in fines.

According to federal court documents, the crimes occurred Between October 2011 and January 2012 while he was a Water Valley officer and again in February and March of this year.

He is free on $10,000 bond until a sentencing is held later this year.