ERIN'S CLERK CHARGED IN PLOT TO TRADE COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS FOR MONEY

(We originally published this post after speaking with several sources who first told us of the investigation into the probe in the JP 2-2 office. At first, the focus was on traffic tickets. Now we have learned that it had shifted to a scheme to trade community service hours for cash payments that were paid to clerk  Liliana Cantu and perhaps other participants. The investigation continues. A corrected version of the post appears below.)

By Juan Montoya
A clerk who worked for Precinct 2, Place 2 Justice of the Peace Erin Hernandez-Garcia was arrested and jailed on three counts of tampering with a government document.
Liliana Cantu was jailed briefly Tuesday at the Rucker-Carrizales Detention Center Tuesday before she was released after the county's Pre-Trial Release Program posted her $10,000 bond.
Details are sketchy but sources say that Cantu had been involved in a scheme whereby those who were referred to that office for performance of community service hours were offered to make a cash payment instead. Cantu reportedly resigned her job about two weeks ago. After searching for her whereabouts for about a week, she was placed under arrest and went before magistrate Albert E. Cordova who set bond on her at $10,000. Within hours, she was released after the county's Pre-trial Release Department bailed her out. It is unknown who arranged to have the program bail her out.
This is not the first time that there have been irregularities emanating from that office. The last time it involved employees who had been working there when the late Tony Torres was presiding at the court. No charges were ever filed on the matter.
Sources say that the investigation has not stopped and that there may be personnel in other county offices who may have been working in concert with Cantu in the service-hours for cash scheme.
It is unknown how long Cantu and others may have been working the scheme. The Constable's office from Pct. 5 handled the investigation.
Her arrest comes at a time when her former boss, JP Hernandez-Garcia, has been under scrutiny by the Cameron County District Attorney's office and a state grand jury for allegedly issuing and charging for fraudulent waivers to couples so they don;t have to wait the state-mandated 72 hours between the issuing of a marriage license and the performance of the wedding ceremony.
After the grand jury subpoenaed the JP's marriage records, the DA requested an opinion from the Texas Attorney General to determine whether the office could legally issue (and sell) the waivers in accordance with the Texas Family Code. The AGO is expected to answer to the DA's request within 180 days.
If the AOG determines that a justice of the peace cannot issue or sell the waivers, one of the potential charges under the Texas Penal Code could be tampering with a government document. Hernandez-Garcia has stated that she issued "a comfortable 10 or so" waivers during her 11 months in office. The DA's office included at least 13 such marriages performed in that office through the waivers.