FORMER D.A.'S OFFICE INVESTIGATOR ARRESTED, CHARGED

By Juan Montoya
For years, Joe Venustiano Garza was an investigator with the Cameron County District Attorney's Office collaring criminals and putting them in the slammer.

This past week the shoe was on the other foot and Garza landed in the hoosegow himself. He was charged with criminal trespass by the Brownsville Police Dept. and his mug appeared in the PD's blog.

Garza has been in the middle of the very public divorce between his daughter Lorrie and Robert (Capt. Bob) Sanchez. After the couple filed for the dissolution of the marriage, Garza moved in with his daughter and grandchildren into the couple's home to give his daughter moral support. But since that home is next to Sanchez's parents home on Jacaranda Street, there has been constant friction between the pair.

Sanchez has posted pictures of his former father-in-law on Facebook that shows Garza throwing the finger as he passed by. To say that there is no love lost between the two would be an understatement.

The BPD blog does not state how and where the criminal trespass took place. According to the law, simply being in someone's property is not enough to warrant the charge. We've sat in on trials where the state prosecutors show that the defendant had been told not to come on their property (an HEB) once and when they persisted, the cops were called.

We won't take sides with the merits of either Robert or his wife's divorce case, but this is not the first time Garza has been in hot water with the local cops. Last March, about a year ago to the date, there was a police report that indicated that Garza was arrested at a supermarket (HEB) at 2250 Boca Chica Blvd. on March 7 or 9 (our copy is a little blurry).

Loss Prevention Officer Richard Servin (?) at the store observed Garza pocketing some items, then walking up to the checkout to pay for others he did not conceal.
Garza shoplifting charge apparently involved relatively small items.