By Juan Montoya
Ok, everybody. Check your calendars.
Sheriff Lucio told the Brownsville Herald that his chief deputy Gus Reyna was driving the county-issued vehicle on Aug. 24 in the parking lot of a restaurant in Brownsville.
According to my calendar, Aug. 24 was a Sunday.
Further, Lucio said that the accident happened in the evening. Was Gus handling a call from the restaurant? Or was he having a late lunch when he inadvertently crashed into another car?
Lucio also didn't mention that Reyna had another passenger with him in the car, identified as a former sheriff's department deputy who then went on to work for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement before he retired.
We understand investigators have already interviewed that passenger.
What he did say is that instead of filing a police report as is required of anyone who in involved in an accident, Reyna reached an arrangement with the driver of the other car (a woman), that she not file a report and that he would fix her car. Then they had the cars pulled all the way to San Benito to the body shop of his friend Ramiro Partida.
Lucio also told the newspaper that Reyna had called him since he was out of town and reported that he had an accident.
This also doesn't make sense. If you didn't file a police report to keep anyone from knowing about the accident, would you call your boss who was out of town? A simple check of their phone records would settle that little matter.
This was no mere fender bender, as some accounts would have us believe. The cost of the work on the county-issued 2011 Ford Expedition was some $7,000, according to Lucio. We had heard $5,700 before Lucio made it official. Does that mean that the total for fixing both cars was $7,000?
If so, it was no mere fender bender. We have learned that investigators with the Cameron County District Attorney's Office Government Integrity Unit have found the damaged part of both cars. They also fund the female motorist who was involved in the crash.
She told them that there was, indeed, alcohol involved, although we don't know if it was just Reyna and his passenger, or her as well. That would make sense. If Reyna lighted the vehicle, told her who he was, and then talked her into not calling the cops because both of them would be charged with DWIs, it is easy to see how she might have agreed. She would have been amenable to not reporting the accident if he and his passenger exerted a bit of persuasion because of Reyna's position.
Whichever way you cut it, things do not look good for Reyna's aspirations to become the next sheriff of Cameron County. We were told that the anonymous person who reported Reyna's accident and failure to follow county policy was someone inside the sheriff's department, perhaps someone who knew things first-hand.
We finally got in a word edge-wise with Cameron County District Attorneny Luis Saenz to see whether – like Lucio – he considered the matter closed and got a firm response.
"Oh, no," he said. "If it had been me or you, do you think that things would have happened the way they did with Mr. Reyna? We're following through with this."
22 comments:
Gus Reyna and Sheriff Lucio surely demonstrate that they think they are exempt from the same procedures that other mortals must follow. This arrogance of office is consistent with the Democratic Party and its officials. Sheriff Lucio has made it clear that he will cheat for his friends. He through his deputies under the bus for cheating....only because they got caught. The corruption in the Sheriff's office and this "accident" should be invetigated. Do we think the DA has the balls to take on his fellow Democrat or will he "pass" and wait for the feds to take Lucio out. Corruption in the Democratic Party does not subside when some go to jail. Like the cartels, take one out and there is another asshole to fill the gap.
Can you believe Arnold Flores taking up for his Dumbokratic "friend" on TV. Shame on Arnold.
Wonder what wrecker service gets the majority of the calls? Would be nice to check the wrecker service logs.
Reyna is a regular at Mi Puebliti restaurant in Pablo Kisel. He regularly stumbles out of the resyaurant. He sits at the bar by himself which probably means he drives humself hine.
it happened on a sunday because it was past midnight. he was out on a saturday night drinking.
As a current law enforcement official...I honestly hope D.A. Saenz does take action against Gus Reyna.
Since Omar Lucio made it clear that Reyna was appointed by him, then don't expect any further action from Lucio.
D.A. Saenz knows as well as the rest of us that Reyna is an alcoholic. Saenz prove to the law enforcement community that you really are going to tackle corruption in this county. If Saenz does go after Reyna then a lot of us would see that things may be turning the corner against corruption in this County.
D.A. Saenz is correct concerning the fact if it had been a normal citizen or just a regular deputy. Things would have been different. The deputy would have been terminated immediately. A citizen would have been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated.
D.A. Saenz prove to us that you do belong in the office you were elected to, by finally going after the people who make us all look horrible.
Reyna is just the start at the Sheriff's Department. There are other high ranking deputies who have done things that have not hit the press because it has been hidden. Good Luck Saenz !!! I hope you really follow through and this isn't just a show to gain brownie points with the public.
Arnold is party to the click. Too bad for Joe Rivera that wants to put Gus as Sheriff if he wins the County Judge Post. Another dumbokratic.
Is Gus Reyna (Sheriff Administrator) exempt from their department policy. As a veteran law enforcement official, he knows he has to report to the state, any accident involving more than 1000.00 in damages. If he was covering up the accident, he was also trying to cover-up that he was drunk, doing personal business in a company vehicle, was not doing county business on a Sunday, and had an unauthorized rider,
As a former police officer, there are several charges that could apply here? On Lucio, Abuse of Official Capacity or Official Oppression for covering it up by not calling or contacting the HR or his boss, Carlos Cascos. The amount of damages is over $1500.00 when the law says that a report is to be made. Was someone injured?
Reyna, failure to file an accident report, fail to contact emergency personnel, if an injury occurred? Abuse of official capacity and Official Oppression, which are felonies because of the amount of damage. Not to include failure to do his duty as a police officer, violate county rules and regulations.
We need to stop this compadre BS and now is the time on the county's part! The Feds have opened the door on corruption, let's keep going at it until the scourge of CC is out!
ON A SUNDAY??? I had to repost to piss off that idiot in Omar Lucio!!!
You mean Gus Reyna was with a woman other than his wife? So, Gus Reyna strikes another vehicle and then fails to report it? Or he talks the other operator out of making a report? Now it sounds like the damage is over $1500.00 and Gus Reyna fails to do his duty as a sworn police officer? Omar Lucio, the worn down Sheriff and the one who probably wants his boy, Gus Reyna to be Sheriff covers it up, or uses a BS excuse of being out of town? Lucio did the same thing at the Harlingen Police Department, so he'll cover the incident up because he understands that being unfaithful is part of the law enforcement code. You member Lucio! You broke out a window because the back door closed on you when you were Interrogating a female in the back seat in the prone position. Or, do you remember the number of walkie-talkie's that left at female's houses when serving and protecting. Remember the old saying, "I am God's gift to women! "Look at me like God and you are my disciples! "do as I say and not as I do!
A real test for the office of Luis Saenz whether they will find sufficient evidence to Indict since he failed to report an accident, cause possible injury, abuse his position or oppression with talking the other driver out of it? Gus Reyna should be Indicted or he should have enough sense to retire and just forget that dream of being Sheriff!
Texas Penal Code, 39.02 Abuse of Official Capacity, & 37.09 Tampering with Physical Evidence,
The other driver will probably get arrested.
Where are the DA's investigators?
Hey, Luis, whaddya gonna do?
Huh?
I need to find out who this lady is? She may have a pretty dare good case against the county for possible personal injuries involving a traffic accident. She could get her vehicle replaced and paid for future injuries (Tort Claim) resulting from this accident? If the accident just happen in August like the Sheriff said it did...she needs to know that she is well within her statute of limitations of two years to file a personal injury law suit against the county with deep pockets and the county driver. I think the Plaintiff could reach an out- of- court settlement very quickly with the county...as far as I can read in this story; parties had not reached an agreement to settle this damage claim? If the sheriff is a practicing attorney and settled this case for the county...then there should be some sored of a 'Settlement Agreement' filed with county civil office. Need to check!
If not...any person injury attorney would take this case on very quickly! Why...its the county with very good insurance coverage...maybe at lease liability at the limits of $30,000.00 for a start!
Come on people let me know who this civilian female driver is...Please I'm a "Hungry Attorney" lol!!!!!!
By the way, I'm that 'Hungry Attorney'...you can meet me at the Chile's Restaurant this Saturday night at the bar drinking a nice cold beer...I'll be wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots and I'll leave my 4x4 pick truck parked at Rudy's parking lot so that when I drive away no one will see me drunk! Come see lady so I can help you!!!!!!!
Saenz wouldn't do it.... mark my words, he wouldn't! !!
I think Lucio should have advised Gus to take a drug test as per county policy and Lucio is big on policy. I also think Arnold Flores needs to be fired cause he can't handle the HR office and be political. The only good thing out of this is when a sheriff deputy gets in trouble for not following policy, there is nothing you can do to him if rules don't apply to everyone evenly. Fire Gus, Fire Arnold and praise Luis Saenz for investigating this..
Whaaaaaaat
Puro bullshit nice job gussy
It has been become clear to me that Sheriff Lucio has lost control of the Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff has lost his leadership skills and is no longer minding the store. The Reyna brothers have no leadership qualities or skills and are tearing down the Sheriff's Department. Has the Sheriff been absent it's that every time there is an incident he is out of town. Is he retired on the Job. The Sheriff has an opportunity to redeem himself. He must force Gus Reyna to resign or terminate his employment. If he does neither it will cost him the election.
Yes...The tax payers and voters demand..it !! Before it's too late. .and something else happens that's irreversible. .
It, could of been something worst and killed someone that there are reason enough to be fire, if it would of been another employee they would of been fired on the spot, corruption at it's best in the valley.
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