DID WILLIE GONZALEZ'S CHARMED EXISTENCE RUN OUT?

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Almost seven years ago, City of Brownsville Health Code Inspector Willie Gonzalez got into a little trouble after he went to the Toucan Lounge with a gun in his glove compartment to confront his girl friend who someone told him was drinking with another man inside.

Even though the shooting resulted in a man being paralyzed from the waist down and two other people suffering gunshot wounds, Gonzalez's political connections - his mother was the City Secretary Lydia Gonzales, a close friend of then-city manager Charlie Cabler - spared him prosecution.

A state grand jury finally indicted Gonzales two months after the incident on accusations that he fired his handgun and injured a man and a woman in the parking lot of the bar. The jury issued two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon on alcohol premises on the man.

Her was placed by the city administration on administrative leave without pay.

Then authorities, citing the unwillingness of one of the victims to testify against the shooter and finding that he had shot the two victims in self defense, dropped the ball. Following that finding, Cabler said Gonzales has been brought back to work and given several assignments.

He was allowed to return to work at the city and went about his merry way.

Well, we understand that Willie's luck ran out. Seems like there was a problem with the results of a drug test and he had the option to either resign or be terminated.

We are still trying to get details on his latest scrape with authority and will pass them on as they become available though the city's public information process.