[....]
Then came the release of a
“missing” dash cam video that showed Longoria failing her field sobriety tests miserably, which prosecutors claimed they never saw. So in an effort to save face, DA Guerra decided to accuse the police department of failing to do its job, using this as an excuse for the dismissal.
[....]
“What the hell good is it to have it at the PD, when I need it at the courthouse?” he said. “Did I arrest the lady? Then it’s not my responsibility. I assumed that the police departments were sending us all the video. And I find out that in McAllen, because it takes (information technology workers) to get you the download that we have to request it. Well, let me tell you what: I’m not going to do that,” said Guerra, according to The Monitor.
Apparently McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez didn’t take too kindly to Guerra attempting to scapegoat the incident onto his department, as he promptly stated that the District Attorney’s office was attempting to distract the public and the media from Guerra’s special treatment of Longoria.
Rodriguez plainly stated,
“It’s somebody that knows somebody. He made a decision based on that. And when caught in the public discussion of that, he’s trying to shift the blame.”
[....]
In rebuttal to Guerra’s claims[....]Rodriguez went on to say,
“The question is this: If we have hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people serving DWI sentences in Hidalgo County — which we’ve used the same system we’ve used in this case — how come it has worked for them and not for this case? It’s a smoke cloud that’s being thrown in front of you in the press, and you guys can’t seem to figure it out.”
[....]
The back and forth between the DA and the Police Chief lays bare the fact that this case was not handled properly. When you have a police chief plainly stating that there was special treatment from the prosecutor, due to him knowing the defendant, it calls into question the entire legitimacy of our justice system.
Rodriguez went on to ask some important societal questions when he pondered,
“How many other VIPs have gotten the special treatment? Have you done that research? Is this a surprise to you?”
[....]
How can anyone expect the public to respect “the law” when some are seemingly above it?
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