TYLER, Texas — Just over one year ago, Judith Hernandez says she lost her other half in a tragic accident at Lake Palestine. The loss of her son, Roberto Carlos Bermejo Hernandez, has left a devastating hole for the Tyler mother and her two younger daughters.
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Roberto, 14, who was often called Carlos or Carlitos by friends and family, was struck and killed by a bass boat while swimming at Lakeway Harbor on Lake Palestine, off State Highway 155, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.
The alleged driver of the boat, Jeffrey Joe Hampton, 31, of Tyler, left the scene before officers arrived and was arrested the next day by Texas Parks and Wildlife. He has been indicted on charges of manslaughter and accidental boating death, and remains in the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling $1 million.
Read more from CBS19's newspaper partner, the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
