Judge sentences Jonathan Zuniga Bravo to 10 years for burglary after testimony about radio‑jamming device

A judge in the 252nd District Court in Jefferson County sentenced Jonathan Zuniga Bravo to 10 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after he entered an open plea of guilty to burglary of a habitation in cause number 24DCCR1274.

The court heard testimony and exhibits connecting Bravo to a May 8, 2024, burglary investigation in which officers located a backpack containing a device the state described as capable of jamming radio frequencies and cellular signals. Lieutenant John Hudson of the Groves Police Department testified that the device, when running, prevented officers from transmitting on their radios and that the device’s design and antennas made it capable of interrupting burglar alarm signals to allow an extended entry window. "When you turn on the device, it sounds almost like a computer with a fan running," Hudson testified, and said turning the device off restored radio transmission.

The state presented evidence linking Bravo to other investigative steps in Fort Bend County. Deputy Dustin Dishman of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office described a January 5, 2023 vehicle stop and searches in which officers found narcotics, multiple cell phones, crowbars, gloves, screwdrivers and a firearm stowed in a backpack. Dishman testified these items are commonly associated with residential and commercial burglaries and that the totality of the circumstances led to arrests and later referral to prosecutors. The court admitted a printout of a Criminal Justice Information Services record (offered as States 1) for the limited purpose of establishing immigration-related information; the prosecutor offered it and the court admitted it without objection.

Defense attorney Miss Norman challenged the relevance and admissibility of extraneous offense evidence and pointed to a dismissal in Fort Bend County she said resulted from mistaken identity in one prior matter. The court reviewed defense filings opposing extraneous‑offense evidence and the state’s sentencing memorandum and said it would allow testimony about certain unadjudicated incidents where it found relevance under governing case law and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The judge noted the dismissal wording from Fort Bend gave her pause but said the January matters and other unadjudicated allegations were potentially relevant to punishment and she would weigh them accordingly.

In argument, defense counsel urged the court to consider Bravo’s family ties and the fact that some related investigations were not pursued to conviction; the prosecutor described the offense pattern as part of an organized ring that used GPS trackers and the jamming device to target victims who likely stored cash at home. The prosecutor sought a 15‑year sentence; the judge imposed 10 years, stating she had reviewed the presentence investigation, the parties’ filings, and witness testimony. The judge also directed the clerk to give Bravo credit for time served and handed him a written admonishment in Spanish about firearm-in-possession prohibitions.

The judge announced that the remaining two pending cases involving unlawful use of a criminal instrument and interference with radio frequency would be set for future announcement dates. No jury verdict or jury vote occurred; the sentence followed an open guilty plea and the judge’s factual finding of guilt. The court advised Bravo of appeal rights and provided required written forms.

The record reflects that testimony, admitted exhibits, and filings about extraneous offenses and investigative reports informed the court’s sentencing decision. The judge explicitly stated she allowed testimony on certain unadjudicated offenses and that she would weigh relevance and prejudice in arriving at punishment.