San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge suspended Officer Jaciel Cortina for 24 hours and placed him on administrative leave in April 2026 after an internal investigation found he violated department policies during a March 14 traffic stop. The investigation concluded that Cortina violated San Marcos Police Department Policy 5.1, Policy 6.1, and Policy 7.40 in connection with two arrests made that morning.

Cortina will be required to complete retraining on de-escalation and investigative practices. Standridge concluded his review of the March 14 arrests before announcing the discipline.

Just before 4 a.m. on March 14, 2026, officers were notified of a 15-year-old girl attempting to leave her mother's house and get into a red pickup truck. The girl's mother told police she believed an older man she did not know was trying to leave with her daughter. Officers later confirmed the girl never left her mother's house and was not in the red pickup truck, and that no crime had occurred in relation to the incident.

Officers found a truck matching the mother's description. The driver, later identified as Esteban Reyes, 17, did not respond after being asked to exit the vehicle multiple times. Officers called for backup and approached the driver's seat, including Cortina. Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes, 44, held onto his son's arm and attempted to keep him inside the truck, and Esteban Reyes was physically removed from the vehicle.

Both Esteban Reyes and Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes were booked into the Hays County Law Enforcement Center for interfering with public duties. After the booking, Cortina discovered that Gerardo Gonzalez Reyes had an ICE immigration detainer, a request sent by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to law enforcement agencies to notify ICE before releasing an immigrant and to hold them for up to 48 hours. The arresting officer was not aware of the detainer at the scene of the traffic stop.

Standridge provided recommendations to be implemented by the department, including the establishment of mandatory supervisory and command protocols for major incidents. The department will adopt a policy governing protocols for ICE administrative warrants and detainers, amend existing policies to require articulation of the basis for detention and arrests, clarify requirements for report accuracy, and require use of a standard translation application. It will also create a public-facing dashboard for use of force, de-escalation, and dignity in policing metrics, and establish a formal San Marcos Police Department Leadership Academy.

The City of San Marcos expects officers to act to the highest professional standards at all times and acknowledged concerns expressed by the family and the public. The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, whose attorneys are representing Cortina, said the accusations were "unfounded and unsubstantiated."