Miami-Dade Detective Stabbed In Texas Returns To S. Fla.

Miami-Dade police Detective Jaime Pardinas (in dark hoody) hugs members of the police department on his return to South Florida. Pardinas was stabbed in Grapevine, Texas by a prisoner he was transporting to Nevada. (Source: CBS4)

MIAMI (CBSMiami) ? A Miami-Dade police detective who was stabbed by a prisoner he was transporting across the country is back in South Florida.

Jaime Pardinas, 54, landed at Opa-locka Airport around 11:00 a.m. Tuesday on what appeared to be a private charter plane.

On the tarmac, dozens of friends, family and co-workers surrounded him and gave him plenty of hugs.

?We?re ecstatic. We?re very happy that he made it home safe and he?s back home now,? said Alina Schettino.

Schettino, who is now retired from the force, was with Pardinas at the police academy.

?We were all classmates and we were all compelled as a brotherhood to be here for him. It was not a problem for us. We will always be here for him or any other officer who gets in this type of incident,? said Schettino.

Pardinas and his partner David Carrero were taking Morales, 42, to Nevada where he was to begin serving a 30-year to life sentence for sexual assault.

Police said Morales was so disruptive on a flight into Houston that they decided to transport him by ground the rest of the way.

During a stop at a Wal-Mart in Grapevine, Texas ? near Dallas ? Morales broke off a piece of his eyeglasses and stabbed Pardinas in the neck and back while Carrero was inside the store.

?It is an awful experience, not knowing if you will survive. Thank God that he did survive,? said Schettino.

Pardinas, who spent several days in the hospital, was released over the weekend.

?He?s doing very good. From what I saw his recovery is going well, extremely well,? said retired officer Jerry Llanes.

Llanes, a friend Pardinas, was with the Miami-Dade Police Department for 25 years.

?As a trainer I can tell you it?s terrible. It?s terrible. And these are the dangers that police face every day. A lot of times we don?t realize what the job entails. And he did great. He did marvelous,? said Llanes. ?Marvelous. I think it was his training that got him through this whole ordeal.?

After the stabbing, Morales escaped which led to a week long police manhunt. Morales quickly became one of the most wanted fugitives in Texas.

Officers finally caught up with Morales?early Saturday morning after getting a tip about a robbery?from a resident near Lake Grapevine. Police descended on the area, found Morales and attempted to take him into custody. But Morales was ultimately shot and killed.

Source: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/02/19/miami-dade-detective-stabbed-in-texas-returns-to-s-fla/

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