and the least of it is Cheney and Gonzalez. Juan Angel "Johnny" Guerra, the DA in Willacy County is a nut. He was investigated last year for theft by a public servant. His office computers were seized and he was arrested. He supposedly had a vendetta against a bail bond company. He allegedly tried to extort $10,000 from the bail bond company, resold a seized car and falsely claimed $800 in expenses. He went to Mexico after that arrest. He seems to have a habit of that.(
Link to Feb. 2007 article).
As for the District Judge Migdalia Lopez who was also indicted along with Cheney and Gonzalez, she
scolded him in February 2007 for failing to appear in court and be in his office resulting in the dismissal of four criminal cases. He claimed he couldn't prepare the cases because his computers had been confiscated. Guerra and Lopez do not get along.
Also indicted with Cheney and Gonzalez was District Clerk Gilbert Lozano
who said of Guerra in 2007, "I believe he is obsessed with power. He claims he is the top law enforcement officer in the county, and that he runs the county," said District Clerk Gilbert Lozano, who Guerra tried to call as a grand jury witness. "I believe his days are numbered. The word I hear is that people are fed up." These two do not get along. Guerra does not get along with a lot of people.
Ultimately, the charges against Guerra were dismissed last month, in October. But not before Guerra lost in the Democratic Primary for a try for a 4th straight term. The charges were dismissed after a 13th Court of Appeals ruling that Gus Garza, the special prosecutor who headed the investigation that led to the indictments - was
improperly appointed to serve as special prosecutor in the case against Guerra. Guerra had previously defeated Gus Garza for DA and they have been political enemies ever since.
Of course, then in
April of 2007:--RAYMONDVILLE -- Los Fresnos Justice of the Peace Gus Garza turned himself in to authorities more than a week after Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra filed a second-degree felony charge against him. Garza, who has served as a special prosecutor in Willacy County, warned that the charge against him could lead to more charges against Guerra. Garza turned himself into a sheriff's deputies on a charge of obstruction or retaliation, Sheriff Larry Spence said. The charge stems from Garza's alleged disruption of a grand jury as it met with Guerra on Feb. 11, Spence said. Garza was released on a $1,000 ...
And there is much more in the undercurrents of South Texas politics, but you get the picture. Everyone else indicted along with Cheney and Gonzalez have had run-ins with Guerra at some point. What one needs to understand is that politics in the Texas Rio Grande Valley (far south Texas, commonly referred to as "The Valley") is as vindictive and backstabbing as you will find anywhere, with the possible and likely exception of Laredo. Even the Valley thinks Laredo is bad, but that's for another post. And that's not even getting into the ongoing quarterly or so federal indictments of sheriffs, deputy sheriffs and border patrol agents for their roles in drug smuggling with the Mexican drug cartels. That's not even getting into the regular and usual ongoing federal corruption investigations.
The throwing in of Cheney and Gonzalez was probably for flair, if not substance. It was more about one last fling at retaliation against Guerra's enemies Valley style. But if the Valley is united on one thing, it is the dislike of Republicans and that's likely why Cheney and Gonzalez were thrown into the mix.
This post was inspired by
this post by Autorank.