Sheriff: Texas woman threatened to kill store clerk who denied her beer

SAN BENITO, Texas— The Cameron County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman accused of threatening to kill a store clerk who refused to sell her beer, authorities said.

Sonia Maricela Reyes Mendoza, 46, was arrested Thursday on charges of terroristic threat, according to a news release from Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza.

On Thursday, deputies responded to a store on the 2200 block of Highway 281 in reference to a disturbance.

The clerk told dispatch a woman was threatening to kill her, authorities said. Upon arrival, deputies located the woman, identified as Reyes Mendoza, the release stated.

"The store clerk stated that Reyes Mendoza came into the store talking to herself, she grabbed 2 beers from the refrigerators, headed to the cash register and threw the beers at the counter," the release stated.

Reyes Mendoza then became irate when she was not asked for identification, and the clerk told her she would not sell her the beer, authorities said.

According to the release, it was at this point that Reyes Mendoza started a disturbance inside the store, telling the clerk she would "kill her with a gun if she wouldn't sell her the beer."

Deputies spoke with witnesses who corroborated the clerk's statements, CCSO said.

Reyes Mendoza was placed under arrest and taken to the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center. The case remains under investigation.

(ValleyCentral and KXAN contributed to this report)