By Juan Montoya
It was January in 2004 when two Cameron County Sheriff investigators brought a complaint against then-District Attorney Yolanda De Leon for allegedly releasing a scathing report by a grand jury that charged then-Sheriff Conrado Cantu with creating an atmosphere in the department and the jail where people were afraid to report wrongdoing for fear of retaliation.
One of the complainants dropped out of the laws suit and left Capt. Rumaldo Rodriguez as the sole complainant arguing that de Leon should be removed from her office.
Eventually, the case was dismissed by a visiting judge, but the pattern of prosecution that was established then can let us get a good idea of what awaits the prosecution (or n
on-prosecution) of Precinct 2 commissioner Ernie Hernandez for his supposed role in perverting the county's civil service department to get his brother-in-law Roberto Cadriel hired by the county.
Rewind to 2004
.
During one of the strategy sessions that Cantu was holding trying to steer the case against De Leon through the legal process and have her removed, I happened to be at the Rucker-Carrizales administrative offices, specifically, the sheriff's office.
As we went over the latest of Conrado's exploits – this time I believe it was a seizure of drugs and money spread out on a table for the television crews – former Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra sauntered in, disheveled and wild-eyed as usual. He stayed in the periphery of the news media feeding frenzy and when the air had cleared and all the cameras had left, walked over to Cantu.
Guerra didn't know I was writing an article on the bust, or who I was. He merely assumed that I was one of Conrado's assistants and they started talking about the De Leon case.
The gist of the meeting was that Guerra was advising Cantu on how to proceed against the DA and try to remove her for divulging (or having someone divulge) the contents of the grand jury report against him.
Fast forward.
That year, Armando Villalobos beat De Leon for the post of DA in Cameron County, with no little help from Cantu, who wanted De Leon out of office. Both candidates actually had combined campaign strategy sessions in Villalobos' offices on Price Road where they shared resources and campaign events. I was present during at least one of those meetings.
But there was a case that De Leon had filed against Cantu before she left office that was still pending in the courts against the singing sheriff.
Cantu was indicted on a charge of abuse of official capacity after he was recorded pressuring sheriff's department workers to campaign for him at a mandatory, on-the-clock meeting at the sheriff's office complex in October 2003 in Olmito.
District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who took office in January 2005, would recuse himself because of his close relationship with Cantu, and hand the case over to...(you guessed it!)... Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra .
Guerra chose not to prosecute the case and it was dismissed.
Guess who is the current Willacy County District Attorney? Why none other than Bernard Ammerman, a former assistant Cameron County district attorney under...Armando Villalobos.
History, a philosopher once said, does repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.
It was January in 2004 when two Cameron County Sheriff investigators brought a complaint against then-District Attorney Yolanda De Leon for allegedly releasing a scathing report by a grand jury that charged then-Sheriff Conrado Cantu with creating an atmosphere in the department and the jail where people were afraid to report wrongdoing for fear of retaliation.
One of the complainants dropped out of the laws suit and left Capt. Rumaldo Rodriguez as the sole complainant arguing that de Leon should be removed from her office.
Eventually, the case was dismissed by a visiting judge, but the pattern of prosecution that was established then can let us get a good idea of what awaits the prosecution (or n
on-prosecution) of Precinct 2 commissioner Ernie Hernandez for his supposed role in perverting the county's civil service department to get his brother-in-law Roberto Cadriel hired by the county.Rewind to 2004
.During one of the strategy sessions that Cantu was holding trying to steer the case against De Leon through the legal process and have her removed, I happened to be at the Rucker-Carrizales administrative offices, specifically, the sheriff's office.
As we went over the latest of Conrado's exploits – this time I believe it was a seizure of drugs and money spread out on a table for the television crews – former Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra sauntered in, disheveled and wild-eyed as usual. He stayed in the periphery of the news media feeding frenzy and when the air had cleared and all the cameras had left, walked over to Cantu.
Guerra didn't know I was writing an article on the bust, or who I was. He merely assumed that I was one of Conrado's assistants and they started talking about the De Leon case.
The gist of the meeting was that Guerra was advising Cantu on how to proceed against the DA and try to remove her for divulging (or having someone divulge) the contents of the grand jury report against him.
Fast forward.
That year, Armando Villalobos beat De Leon for the post of DA in Cameron County, with no little help from Cantu, who wanted De Leon out of office. Both candidates actually had combined campaign strategy sessions in Villalobos' offices on Price Road where they shared resources and campaign events. I was present during at least one of those meetings.
But there was a case that De Leon had filed against Cantu before she left office that was still pending in the courts against the singing sheriff.
Cantu was indicted on a charge of abuse of official capacity after he was recorded pressuring sheriff's department workers to campaign for him at a mandatory, on-the-clock meeting at the sheriff's office complex in October 2003 in Olmito.
District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who took office in January 2005, would recuse himself because of his close relationship with Cantu, and hand the case over to...(you guessed it!)... Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra .
Guerra chose not to prosecute the case and it was dismissed.
Guess who is the current Willacy County District Attorney? Why none other than Bernard Ammerman, a former assistant Cameron County district attorney under...Armando Villalobos.
History, a philosopher once said, does repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.
8 comments:
Cameron County does not have a district attorney.
Villalobos also accommodated the son of Aurora de la Garza, Joey, who had de-frauded a local hosopice of over $150,000. Sheriff Omar Lucio refused to arrest little Joey and then DA Villalobos worked our a "special" deal where he got the case in to the court of Judge "Disable" Limas for a bench hearing without the complaintants in the room. Little Joey was given special treatement and the felony went away.....just as Aurora and the Dumbokrats who rule this county wanted and paid for. Villalobos is a scum bag and its time to see if he can make a living on his own...other than just surviving on the public tit.
Way to go Montoya! You got it right about how it works in the District Attorney's Office! With Mandito in office, things haven't changed? Certain cases and defendants represented by certain attorneys get PREFERRED treatment with results that would shock the citizens of Cameron County! Mandito, with this Limas thing? IT will be a miracle that walk away with only a black eye or a permanent black cloud of suspicion?
Ammerman was originally hired by Yolanda De Leon and beat Guerra in the election because he actually has experience prosecuting criminals not being friends with them.
Son una vola de idiotas, and I mean all county officials {officials,more of a mismormer,} because they are morons, as our congress persons.
Armando, how would you rate your performance as district attorney? Really? What are you smoking?
Oye anonymous at 5:50 where did you go to school? La Hanna ese.? Pos you can't spell. Pobre analfabeto y pendejo. No vales quacha.
I went to your mama's school, you asshole!!
Post a Comment