A man charged with the fatal stabbing of a Turlock teen in 2023 faces additional charges after allegedly trying to stab a correctional officer at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.

Johnathan Hernandez, a minor at the time he allegedly stabbed 17-year-old Dylan Dooling one day after Dooling graduated from Pitman High School, is charged with using a jail-made weapon – also known as a “shank” – in the Sept. 28 assault on Deputy Mircea Dumitru.

According to Sgt. Juan Vera, the incident occurred at around 6:40 p.m. during one of the twice-weekly clothing exchanges, when inmates receive fresh jumpsuits. During the exchange, a routine search of the inmate's cell is conducted.

“When the deputies asked him if he had any contraband hidden in the cell or on his person, he became nervous,” said Vera. “He then lunged at Deputy Dumitru. The deputies were able to subdue Hernandez before anybody was injured.”

Vera said the shank was approximately 6 inches in length, 1½ inches wide, with a solid black handle.

The 19-year-old Hernandez faces up to seven years in prison if convicted for assaulting a peace officer (five years), assault with a deadly weapon (one year), and possessing a deadly weapon in jail (one year). Each assault charge is a strike offense under the state’s three strikes policy.

Hernandez was in Stanislaus County Superior Court Monday for a pretrial hearing on the assault charges. He is set to be back in juvenile court Thursday to determine whether he will be tried as an adult or a juvenile in the Dooling case – and the assault charges could factor into that decision.

Before being transferred to Stanislaus County to face homicide charges, Hernandez had been incarcerated since March 10, 2025, at the California Training Facility in Soledad, where he was serving a three-year sentence for robbing a Modesto gas station in January of that year. At the time of the robbery, he was on probation for an unrelated offense.

Hernandez did not enter a plea at his July 29 hearing; a denial was entered on his behalf by his court-appointed attorney, Julissa Echevarria. He faces 16 years to life behind bars if convicted as an adult for the Dooling homicide. According to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office, 15 to life is the only sentence available by law if Hernandez pleads guilty or is found guilty by a jury. The use of a knife would add an extra year to the sentence.

On the night of June 2, 2023, Dooling was leaving a party in the 2000 block of North Daubenberger Road at around 10:45 p.m. when he was confronted by a group of males, according to Turlock PD. A fight broke out. The reason for that altercation remains unknown.

Dooling was stabbed and the males fled. Friends of the victim called 911. Officers arrived within minutes and found Dooling on the sidewalk. They immediately began administering first aid and CPR until personnel from Turlock Fire Department and American Medical Response arrived on the scene.

Dooling was transported to a local hospital but died about an hour later.

Turlock PD detectives continued to work the case and new information led to an arrest warrant being issued for Hernandez on July 9. He was transferred and booked into Stanislaus County Jail on July 28.