RUN CARLOS, RUN...AS FAR AWAY FROM THE D.A. AS YOU CAN

By Juan Montoya
Is it true that Carlos Rios, a former candidate to the board of the Texas Southmost College is threatening to run for the board of the Brownsville Independent School District?

According to postings on his Facebook page, Rios says that "as a warrior of God I will continue to run and fight...

"BISD elections are next. I want to officially announce that I am running. There is plenty of work to do and I will not give up. I am running around my neighborhood about 3 miles a day. I feel great!

We have confirmed that Rios is, indeed, running. According to the docket sheet in County Court-at-Law III, Rios has been failed to appear for his court hearings on a DWI charge dating back to April 4, 2015 and is considered on the lam.

This is a different DWI charge than the most recent one that happened just this past May right after he came in third in the TSC election with 30.13 percent of the vote and was left out of the runoff that eventually was won by J.J. De Leon over incumbent Dr. Rey Garcia. The election was held May 5.

That incident took place at about 3:18 a.m. May 17 at the Whataburger Restaurant at the corner of U.S. 77 Frontage Road and FM 802 (Ruben Torres). They say that Rios walked inside the restaurant and became verbally abusive with the manager who asked him to leave.

They say he thrice became abusive and then went outside and got into his Tahoe, which bore one of his campaign signs stuck to the rear window. Rios then drove to the carry-out lane and fell asleep at the window until police were called to remove him because he was obstructing passage of other cars.

Police arrived and arrested him and had the Tahoe towed away.

That DWI arrest has not yet landed in a courtroom. But on May 30, just 13 days after his second DWI arrest, Judge David Gonzalez issued the arrest warrant when Rios failed to appear. As far as the court records show, that warrant is still active.

And the Cameron County District Attorney's Office has filed a motion July 25 to say they want to withdraw Rios from the Pre-Trial Diversion program for non-compliance and have asked the court for a hearing on the matter. Can Rios campaign from inside Carrizales?

Coincidentally, the court coordinator for Gonzalez's County-Court-at-Law III just happens to be BISD trustee Laura Perez-Reyes. As an officer of the court, if Rios shows up at the BISD board room, can she affect an arrest or have the BISD police arrest him on the spot?

Still, despite all his trials and tribulations, Rios is embracing his faith to pull him through. He states:

"God has a plan and I am His soldier. I am blessed to have the family, friends and fellow citizens who believe in me; who believe the talents God has given me will be used in His will and for our community.

'As we all know, it is not about how hard you fall. It is about how you pick yourself back up. This is me proclaiming that I am standing. Standing up not only for myself or my family but for everyone who believes in my leadership."