By Dean J. Condoleo
The Modesto Bee
MODESTO, Calif. — A 19-year-old accused of fatally stabbing a Turlock teenager in 2023 now faces a separate felony charge for allegedly attacking a correctional deputy with a jail-made weapon. The incident comes as prosecutors continue their efforts to have his murder case transferred to adult court.
Johnathan Federico Hernandez appeared remotely Thursday morning in Stanislaus County Juvenile Court, where prosecutors discussed the new assault allegation and prison records that could factor into whether he will be tried as an adult for the killing of 17-year-old Dylan Ray Dooling.
The court received a Probation Department evaluation on Oct. 1 but did not disclose its recommendation or decide whether Hernandez’s case should be transferred. Instead, the proceedings were continued to Nov. 10 to allow prosecutors, probation officials and the defense additional time to review evidence.
Deputy District Attorney Patrick Hogan, appearing remotely, told the court that Hernandez recently was charged in a separate adult criminal case involving an assault on a correctional deputy at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
The Sept. 28 incident occurred while Hernandez was awaiting further proceedings in Dooling’s murder case.
According to a report published Tuesday by the Turlock Journal, Hernandez allegedly lunged at Deputy Mircea Dumitru with a jail-made weapon during a routine clothing exchange and cell search.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Vera told the Journal that Hernandez became nervous when deputies asked whether he had any contraband concealed in his cell or on his person.
Deputies subdued Hernandez before anyone was injured, Vera said. The weapon was about 6 inches long and had a solid black handle.
Hogan told the court Thursday that Hernandez faces a felony charge of assaulting a peace officer with a deadly weapon.
He characterized the allegation as a second strike under California’s three-strikes sentencing law and said the new charge could expose Hernandez to as much as 15 years in state prison.
The prosecutor also said his office would not offer Hernandez a plea agreement in the new adult criminal case, citing the pending murder prosecution and the alleged assault while Hernandez was awaiting a decision on his transfer to adult court.
Hernandez is scheduled to return to adult criminal court Nov. 3 for an early case management hearing, followed by a preliminary hearing Dec. 11 in Department 1.
Despite those proceedings, Hogan said he did not want the new case to interfere with the prosecution’s efforts to transfer the murder case out of juvenile court.
He told the judge that the developments involving Hernandez’s new adult charges “should not delay our attempt to transfer him here.” Prison records to be reviewed before transfer hearing
Before being charged in Dooling’s killing, Hernandez had been serving a three-year state prison sentence for robbing a Modesto gas station in January 2025, according to the Turlock Journal. He had been incarcerated at the California Training Facility in Soledad since March 10, 2025.
Hernandez was on probation for an unrelated offense at the time of the robbery.
Following a nearly three-year investigation into Dooling’s death, authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Hernandez on July 9, 2026. He was transferred from state prison and booked into the Stanislaus County jail on July 28 to face the murder allegation.
Hernandez has remained in custody at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center, where he allegedly attacked a correctional deputy with a jail-made weapon on Sept. 28.
The records from California Training Facility in Soledad, commonly referred to as a C-file, document Hernandez’s history while incarcerated in state prison.
Hogan said both prosecutors and the Stanislaus County Probation Department need additional time to examine the records, which he said will be relevant to the request to transfer Hernandez’s murder case to adult criminal court.
The records must also be provided to Hernandez’s defense attorney, Julissa Echevarria, of the Stanislaus County Alternate Defender’s Office.
The judge confirmed Thursday that the probation department had submitted its transfer evaluation Oct. 1 and that the court had reviewed it.
However, the findings and recommendation contained in the report were not discussed publicly during the hearing.
The court requested that probation officials prepare an updated report after reviewing Hernandez’s prison records, including any changes to their previous recommendation.
Suzan Boulad, an attorney appearing on behalf of Echevarria, explained that the defense needed additional time to prepare for the transfer proceedings, emphasizing that the request was not solely related to developments in Hernandez’s new adult criminal case.
Boulad cited “copious amounts of discovery” and the need for further discussions with Hernandez, as well as other issues requiring review.
The judge acknowledged that the case involved extensive evidence and suggested that Echevarria may also consult expert witnesses before the transfer hearing.
The parties agreed to return Nov. 10 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 18, when the court hopes to schedule the hearing that will determine whether Hernandez’s murder case proceeds in juvenile or adult court.
Under California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 707, judges considering a juvenile transfer must evaluate several factors, including the seriousness of the alleged offense, the individual’s criminal history, previous rehabilitation efforts and whether the person can be rehabilitated before juvenile court jurisdiction expires.
Hernandez was 16 at the time of Dooling’s killing. He faces one count of murder and an allegation that he personally used a knife or bladed weapon during the offense.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson previously told The Bee that Hernandez could face a sentence of 16 years to life in prison if convicted as an adult.
No ruling has been made on the prosecution’s request to transfer the case. Dooling’s family asks for belongings to be returned
Three members of Dooling’s family attended Thursday’s hearing, along with Turlock Police Detective Frank Navarro and a representative of the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office Victim Services Unit.
Before the proceedings concluded, a probation officer informed the court that Dooling’s family had requested the return of his cellphone and the clothing he was wearing the night he was killed.
The judge asked Hogan whether the belongings could be released.
“We cannot, at this time, release anything that we think is evidence from this case,” Hogan said.
The prosecutor said the family could contact him for further information, but the items cannot be returned at this time because of their evidentiary value.
The judge advised that the belongings were unlikely to be returned in the near future while the criminal proceedings remain pending.
Dooling was fatally stabbed June 2, 2023, while leaving a house party in the 2000 block of North Daubenberger Road in Turlock, just one day after graduating from Pitman High School.
According to Turlock police, Dooling was confronted by a group of males as he was leaving the party, and a physical altercation broke out. During the fight, he was stabbed before the group fled.
Friends called 911, and responding officers found Dooling suffering from a stab wound. Officers began administering first aid and CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived.
He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Detectives investigated the killing for nearly three years before prosecutors announced a murder charge against Hernandez in July.
Dooling had planned to attend Modesto Junior College after graduation. His family remembered him as someone who enjoyed chess, video games, collecting cologne and spending time with friends and loved ones.
Hernandez remains in custody at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
His next juvenile court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 10, when the parties are expected to discuss the additional prison records, the updated probation evaluation and scheduling of the adult court transfer hearing.
© 2026 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.). Visit www.modbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
