SAN ANTONIO – A jury delivered a verdict of not guilty on Wednesday for a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was charged in 2021 with official oppression.
Joel Chavez was fired after video surveillance revealed inaccuracies in his report regarding a traffic stop.
Chavez in 2019 pulled over Joel Fernandez off TPC Parkway for alleged reckless driving and going more than 40 mph over the speed limit.
According to Chavez’s report, he claimed there was a white powdery substance in a metal tray near the passenger seat. Chavez searched the vehicle and arrested Fernandez.
Fernandez had an in-car video system that recorded videos of what happened during the stop. The videos showed that the metal tray wasn’t visible and that Chavez actually found it in the glove box.
The incident led to Chavez being fired and later charged with official oppression, a class A misdemeanor.
In court Tuesday, Chavez’s attorneys tried to prove that he had probable cause to search the vehicle.
Deputy Juan Tellez, who assisted Chavez at the scene, testified that when he arrived, the search was already done and they tested the drugs found in the vehicle. Tellez was asked if seeing cocaine residue visible in a vehicle was enough to conduct a search and he said “Yes.” He also testified that a person arrested for reckless driving is also enough for probable cause.
Prosecutors countered in their questioning of Tellez and had him read the report Chavez wrote, which said that the metal tray was visible. When they showed him the video, he said the metal tray was in fact not visible but located in the glove box when Chavez opened it.
Chavez could have faced up to a year in jail and a fine if he had been found guilty.