Acts of intimidation, blackballing of deputies described during Barrientes Vela sentencing
A corporal with the Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office testified Tuesday that she and other deputies witnessed then-constable Michelle Barrientes Vela interrogate a discount store manager after the manager accused the elected official’s son of shoplifting.
Public servant assaults, felony DWI and drug case among those dismissed after errant Schertz PD evidence purge
The Guadalupe County Attorney this week dismissed felony cases against five defendants after evidence in each of the criminal matters was improperly destroyed by the Schertz Police Department, court records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
State rests in case against Barrientes Vela, but not before fiery cross-examination of Texas Ranger
The prosecution rested its case Wednesday afternoon in the public corruption trial of Michelle Barrientes Vela, capping off seven days of testimony that ranged from methodical to explosive and included a mistrial nearly being declared.
KSAT, other outlets sue City of Uvalde, sheriff, school district for Robb Elementary school massacre records
KSAT 12 and more than a dozen media organizations have filed a lawsuit against the City of Uvalde, the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District seeking access to records related to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Barrientes Vela’s clerk wore secret recording device, did not tape anything incriminating
A former Bexar County Precinct 2 clerk who sought out the Texas Rangers to expose “wrongdoing” by Michelle Barrientes Vela testified Friday that she wore a secret recording device repeatedly in the summer of 2019 but did not tape the then-constable saying anything incriminating.
Barrientes Vela’s former clerk says constable was ‘rattled’ by 2019 visit from Texas Ranger
A former Precinct 2 clerk who provided critical information to law enforcement about the inner workings of Michelle Barrientes Vela’s administration testified Thursday that the then-constable was left “rattled” after learning she was under criminal investigation in the summer of 2019.
Witness says Barrientes Vela and ‘her entourage’ intimidated him at county park
A San Antonio man who rented pavilions at Rodriguez Park for decades of special events testified Wednesday that former Bexar County Pct. 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela and other uniformed deputies intimidated him and his family as they prepared to celebrate the Easter holiday in 2019.
Records: Less than a quarter of BCSO deputy COVID-19 benefits claims have been approved
Bexar County Sheriff’s detention officers and deputies who have applied for COVID-19 workers’ compensation benefits since the start of the pandemic have been denied more than 75 percent of the time, records obtained by KSAT Investigates confirm.
Barrientes Vela trial opens with claim that prosecutor and investigator set trap for troubled constable
An attorney for indicted ex-Precinct 2 constable Michelle Barrientes Vela argued Tuesday that the prosecutor and lead investigator in the case teamed up to set a trap for his client and came away with nothing more than a few written records.
BCSO deputy suspended after inmate found with loaded gun
Deputy Victor Jimenez III on March 10 brought a prisoner into the Bexar County Jail’s south tower for processing. The prisoner was then searched by a deputy from the agency’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) who found the prisoner in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun, according to Jimenez’s suspension report.
Karnes City families say county attorney’s pursuit of truancy crossed way over the line
The aggressive approach to combat truancy came weeks after Karnes County Attorney Dillingham had pledged to do that very thing, stating in a Facebook video posted that August that she would prosecute parents and their children if the students reached 10 absences.
BCSO: Inmate forced to perform sex acts with fellow inmate after jailer’s segregation error
A Bexar County sheriff detention officer’s failure to keep inmates in his care properly segregated led to one inmate being forced to perform sex acts with another inmate, suspension records released by the agency confirm.
Bexar County juvenile detention officer back at work while out on bond, awaiting hearing on felony choking charge
A Bexar County juvenile detention officer arrested late last month on a felony family violence charge has been returned to duty, the chief probation officer for the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center confirmed Monday.
Indictment: Woman convicted of murdering husband provided false payroll info in $9 million scheme
A woman convicted in 2016 of murdering her husband during a road rage incident provided false payroll information over a seven-year period in order to avoid more than $9 million in payments, Texas Department of Insurance officials confirmed Thursday.
BCSO investigating threatening letters sent to Barrientes Vela ahead of public corruption trial
An attorney for the former Bexar County Precinct 2 constable provided evidence to Judge Velia Meza on July 21, including multiple rounds of live ammunition as well as letters in which someone threatened to kill Barrientes Vela.
KSAT, other media organizations sue Texas DPS for Uvalde school massacre records
KSAT 12 and more than a dozen media organizations on Monday filed a lawsuit in state district court in Austin asking a judge to order the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to release records regarding the law enforcement response to the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Dallas PD release report detailing altercation between Barrientes Vela, state house candidate
Dallas police late Thursday released a 10-page report detailing an altercation outside a hotel earlier this month involving Michelle Barrientes Vela that led to the indicted ex-constable being barred from leaving Bexar County ahead of her public corruption trial next month.
Convention center supervisor arrested for workplace violence incident, allowed to return to work
Additional female maintenance employees at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center have come forward to detail complaints against a building supervisor, who was arrested weeks after KSAT Investigates exposed footage of him yanking a subordinate’s hair while both were on duty last year.
Warrant: Arrested BCSO corporal used forearm to cover victim’s mouth and then squeeze her neck
A Bexar County sheriff’s corporal arrested last week on a felony family violence charge used his forearm to cover the mouth of his victim and then squeezed her neck to the point that she temporarily could not see or hear, an arrest warrant obtained Monday by KSAT Investigates shows.
Barrientes Vela barred from leaving Bexar County, attending political events after Dallas convention skirmish
Michelle Barrientes Vela is now prohibited from leaving Bexar County and attending political events after the judge overseeing her upcoming public corruption trial set special conditions of bond during a court hearing Thursday morning.
Barrientes Vela accused of accosting state political candidate and community advocate in Dallas
The lead up to the felony trial of Michelle Barrientes Vela took a bizarre turn Friday after she was accused of accosting a Texas House of Representatives candidate and a prominent community advocate who were in Dallas to attend the Texas Democratic Convention.