Texas Border Business
A repeat sex offender will spend the next 55 years behind bars after a Hidalgo County judge sentenced him on Wednesday, March 4. State District Judge Luis Singleterry of the 92nd District Court sentenced Michael Nathaniel Hernandez Contreras, 28, of Alamo, after Contreras pleaded guilty to five criminal cases involving aggravated sexual assault, family violence, and failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
The cases stem from incidents investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies across Hidalgo County. Contreras remained at large for several months before investigators located and arrested him in July 2025 with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Contreras was sentenced to 55 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for an aggravated sexual assault committed July 30, 2024. A Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigation revealed Contreras used force to sexually assault a woman he met through social media.
Contreras also received 20 years in prison for attempted aggravated sexual assault committed on Sept. 17, 2022. According to reports, Contreras forced himself on the victim in a parking lot and threatened to kill her. Officers with the Mission Police Department responded and stopped the attack.
Contreras was sentenced to 20 years in prison for assault of a pregnant woman stemming from an incident Feb. 26, 2025. A McAllen Police Department investigation determined Contreras struck his pregnant girlfriend multiple times in the torso and face while driving her to work.
Contreras received another 20-year sentence for continuous violence against a family member stemming from multiple assaults in February 2025. A Donna Police Department investigation found Contreras bit a woman’s arm and punched her in the shoulder and face.
Contreras faced enhanced punishment ranges on several of these charges due to a previous conviction for sexual assault of a child in 2017. Contreras also received a 20-year sentence for failure to register as a sex offender. After completing his 2017 sentence, Contreras failed to report and used a false address for registration purposes.
Assistant District Attorneys Troy Tijerina and John Goodman II prosecuted the cases.
District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios commended the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the McAllen, Donna, and Mission police departments for their investigations.
“Sex offenders who continue to prey on members of our community — and who refuse to comply with the requirements the law places on them — will face the full weight of justice,” Palacios said. “This office will not relent in protecting the vulnerable and holding repeat violent offenders accountable.”
