A man from McKinney has turned his life around and made a full circle from dealing drugs to owning a store that seeks to better people’s lives.
Jason Hernandez started dealing drugs when he was 15 years old. His first drug deal was at the intersection of Greenville Road and Murray Street in east McKinney. Six years later, he was arrested and convicted of selling crack in 1998. He was then sentenced to life in prison without parole.
He would later be released after spending 18 years in federal prison, as President Obama granted him clemency. Shortly after his release in 2015, he told NBC 5 that he didn’t realize that he was on the wrong path. “What was I thinking?” he wondered. “I mean, I thought I was bettering people’s lives when in reality, I was destroying lives.”
Now, with a totally different outlook on life, Hernandez is doing the opposite.
Through a grant from the Marguerite Casey Foundation, Hernandez bought the same store where he made his first drug deal 30 years ago. He plans to rebrand the store and has been clearing the shelves, giving away snacks and sodas left behind by the previous owner.
In a bid to get rid of items that can be used to sell and do drugs, Hernandez also plans to destroy everything behind the counter.
Hernandez said that his plans for the store revolve around his wish to do something good for the community.
“I feel like I owe this community,” Hernandez said. “I feel this community that I love that there was a time when I was poisoning it, and now, instead of selling marijuana, I want to sell oranges, I want to sell fruits, I want to sell vegetables.”
The store will open sometime in late summer. Instead of junk foods, customers will now be able to get healthy and affordable snacks.
