ERNIE WON'T FORGET: VAN HODGE WON'T BE INTERIM JP

By Juan Montoya
Despite the fact that a respected local blogger is asserting that former Brownsville Municipal Judge Kip V. Hodge Johnson is County Commissioner Ernie Hernandez's choice to finish the term of the late Justice of the Peace Tony Torres for the Precinct 2, Place 2, our sources indicate that in the end Hernandez 's long memory might make this an impossibility.
In fact, they point out that it was Van Hodge and former city attorney John Shergold who attempted to smear current Chief Municipal Judge Ben Neece by unloading a controversial case involving the commissioner's brother-in-law and his wife in his court and then taking a convenient vacation to, of all places, Aruba, and let Neece take the heat.
The case involved Joe Cadriel and his wife Ann. Cadriel is Hernandez's brother -in-law.
The Cadriels were facing charges of criminal mischief in connection with the
knocking over of a political sign on May 4, 2002, school board election day. The
complaint was filed by politiquera Evangelina "Chickie" Villarreal who alleges Ann Cadriel knocked down a political sign at Russell Elementary.
Then-Municipal Court Judge Van Hodge appointed John Blaylock as a special prosecutor and dumped the case off in Neece's lap June 12 after city municipal prosecutor Shergold recused himself. Then they both took off to Aruba to watch the fireworks and Neece burn from a distance.
Hernandez at first believed that Neece was out to get his brother-in-law, and vowed to get him in return.
Only until Neece pointed out to City Attorney Jim Goza that the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45.201, titled Municipal Prosecutions, prevented the appointment of a special prosecutor in such cases did Goza submit a motion requesting the rescission of the order
appointing Blaylock to the case.
Blaylock had just gone into private practice after leaving the Cameron County District Attorney's office in ablaze of glory.
Hernandez later found out that the ruse to blame Neece for the appointment of the special prosecutor and the transfer of the case to his court was not the judge's doing, but rather the machinations of Van Hodge and Shergold.
Goza later decided the case was without merits and the case was dismissed. However, it wasn't long before Hernandez got his revenge on Van Hodge and dropped him from the city. Shergold followed.
"Now you know why the rumor that Hernandez favors Van Hodge is nigh impossible," said our source. "Hernandez is like an elephant. He never forgets."
If Van Hodge is out of the running, then the other remaining applicants left for the position are Lilia A. Gonzales, Jon K. Schmid, Alejandro Dominguez, Alfredo Padilla, Juan J. Martinez, Israel Tapia Jr., Juan A. Magallanes, Rosalinda Garcia, Refugio Covarrubias and Dolores Gomez Zarate.