THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG: THEFT INVESTIGATION OF FORMER CHILD SUPPORT CLERK IN DISTRICT CLERK AURORA DE LA GARZA'S DEPT. BEING KEPT HUSH HUSH

By Juan Montoya
The reason for the sudden departure of a child-support payment clerk employed in Cameron County District Clerk Aurora De la Garza's department has been the world's worst-kept secret since it happened less than a week ago.
However, the cat is out of the bag and county court records indicate that Melinda Gonzalez presented herself with her step father (a Cameron County Asst. DA) before sheriff department investigators after they became aware she was the subject of an investigation and was charged with felony theft of between $8,000 and $10,000.
Apparently, Gonzalez had been pocketing money paid by child-support defendants at the county courthouse. and keeping it for her own uses.
Cameron County Sheriff's Omar Lucio said his department had followed the usual process followed with any other defendant that is suspected of a crime.
"Regardless of who it is, we have to follow the process and we had her charged and booked for felony theft," said Lucio. "It's unfortunate that her (step) father works for the district attorney's office, but we have to do everything as it is required by the law. What the DA's office does after we present it with the findings of our investigation or which judge is assigned to hear the case or what they do is out of our hands."
So far, no one at the District Attorney's office, or even the commissioners court, has made a statement about the matter and no media announcements have been forthcoming. Sources in the DA's office will only say that the Sheriff's department is investigating the theft report and that once they receive it, a decision will be made on how and whether to prosecute.
However, county courthouse sources indicate that the woman is the step daughter of a prominent local attorney Peter Gilman currenlty in the employ of the DA's office and that county officials knowledgeable in the matter have tried to keep it under wraps until some sort of arrangement can be made that will save the parents and office holders from public embarrassment.
Sources inside the district clerk's office say that before she was let go the woman was told by Aurora – herself under intense public scrutiny because of her suspected role in the ongoing Abel Limas judicial corruption scandal – that she would help her deal with the charges.
If things go according to the playbook that Aurora followed in the charges made against her son Joey after he was arrested and charged with theft of more than $87,000 from the Sunshine Haven Hospice in Olmito, the case will probably end up with a sympathetic assistant district attorney or a special prosecutor and shunted off to a sympathetic judge.
The political ramifications of the case may prove to be too much and Aurora may be unable to swing a deal for her former employee with special prosecutor (and Democratic nominee for DA and her in-law) Luis Saenz.
If that happens, then all the best efforts of the woman's politically-connected stepfather and her former boss may come to naught and the case exposed to the four winds.
County observers say that was the case when the son of a county auditor working with the pretrial release program got caught taking bribes to lower bonds on county prisoners for local attorneys. In that case, the case was handled quietly and he was allowed to resign without any fanfare, they said.
"The worst thing that the DA's office could do is to try to squelch this case and let her go with a slap on the hand," said a source intimate with the matter. "And Luis (Saenz) would be crazy to give out any deals if he is appointed as  a special prosecutor because her step father is a DA employee. (Chuck) Mattingly would jump all over him come November. This case could be a landmine."
Mattingly won the Republican nomination for Cameron County DA and will face Saenz in the general election in November.
"Unfortunately, these things happen and all we can do is follow the process with her like we would in any other case and let the DA's office and the courts decide how they want to proceed," Lucio said. "But when you're in a position of public trust, you have to be held to the highest standards."