By Eleni Himaras, Staff Writer

An Austin Energy employee was recently arrested and charged with possession of marijuana following a routine traffic stop by a West Lake Hills Police Department on Westbank Drive.

WLH police  say they found 6.6 ounces of marijuana in a backpack with several small plastic bags, a scale, and $1,412 in small bills when they pulled over Fidel Hernandez, 31, for going 44 mph in a 30 mph zone in his Austin Energy truck. 

“I was going westbound on Westbank, and he was going eastbound, and I clocked him at going 44 in a 30,” said Officer Eric Barsanti, who pulled over Hernandez on the 1000 block at about 11:30 a.m. on July 14. 

According to his affidavit, Barsanti smelled a strong odor of recently burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. A background check revealed that Hernandez had an outstanding warrant from Travis County for possession of cocaine, less than four grams, and several outstanding traffic fines from the Austin Police Department, police say. 

“The guy told me he was just trying to make some extra money because he was going through some hard times,” Barsanti said.

According to police, Hernandez had an extensive history with drugs and that, in addition to the large quantity of marijuana in the backpack, he had a small amount on his person. 

Hernandez was taken to Travis County Central Booking and charged with possession of marijuana, greater than four ounces but less than five pounds, police said. If convicted, the state jail felony carries a sentence of up to two years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

Austin Energy has placed him on administrative leave, but is still investigating the incident before making any final decisions.

“There was no indication of these type activities in the past,” said Austin Energy spokesperson Ed Clark.

“He was one of our better employees in terms of being reliable,” Clark said of Hernandez, who worked turning on new customer connections and turning off the connections of moving customers. “The workload is better tracked than in probably any other Austin energy unit.”

The employee’s wife also works in that department but was not suspended.