Officer Joe Lock was critically injured after he was dragged by a car outside a federal office in Fort Worth on July 18, 2024. The woman accused of the assault was declared not guilty by reason of insanity in April 2026 and may be released from prison soon.
Family photo via GoFundMe
The woman who dragged a U.S. Treasury police officer with her car outside a Fort Worth federal building in July 2024, causing him to lose his right leg, appears likely to be released from custody.
Juliza Aguilar was charged with assault of a federal officer, but was found “not guilty only by reason of insanity” in April, court documents state. Augilar’s attorneys appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Friday to work out a conditional release plan, federal court records show.
The injured officer, Joe Lock, was present at Friday’s hearing, according to KDFW-TV reporting.
““I’m going to have to live my life as disabled,” Lock told KDFW. “And my life is going to be limited on what I can and can’t do. And I’m curious what is going to affect her for the rest of her life, just like mine.”
The Texas Fraternal Order of Police opposes Aguilar’s release and has sent a letter to the judge requesting that she remain in custody, KDFW reported.
Aguilar was employed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing office in Fort Worth at the time of the incident. Her supervisor told an FBI investigator that the then-26-year-old had sent him some concerning text messages and emails, according to an affidavit. The supervisor met with Aguilar about 4:30 p.m. on July 18, 2024, to discuss the messages.
Aguilar told her boss she’d been feeling “a bit paranoid” as the result of medication she was on, the affidavit states. She was worried about losing her job, but the supervisor reassured her that wouldn’t happen, he told the FBI agent. Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.
Aguilar’s supervisor contacted the BEP police, and Lock responded. Video footage shows him standing in the open door of Aguilar’s Toyota Scion. Aguilar put her vehicle in reverse and dragged Lock with the door, according to the affidavit. The Toyota hit a parked car, and Lock was pinned between the two vehicles.
Aguilar has undergone several psychological evaluations during her time in custody. On May 18, she presented the court with a plan for her release. According to court documents, the proposed plan recommends the defendant be released to her parents’ custody and that her family arrange health insurance coverage and continued medical and mental health care for her.
The psychologist who examined Aguilar asked social workers at Federal Medical Center Carswell, the prison where Aguilar has been incarcerated, to put together a conditional release plan. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cureton heard from Aguilar’s attorneys and federal prosecutors regarding the plan Friday, court documents state.
Cureton will send his findings and recommendations to a district judge, who is expected to issue a final ruling within 14 days, according to KDFW reporting. Aguilar remains in custody pending a conditional release order.
This story was originally published October 24, 2026 at 3:23 PM.
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Harriet Ramos covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.