A Bexar County visiting judge on Monday affirmed a previous judge’s decision to hold a Texas Ranger in contempt of court for flubbing his testimony during Michelle Barrientes Vela’s public corruption trial last year.
Convicted felon Michelle Barrientes Vela has asked a judge for a new trial, weeks after she was sentenced to five years probation and 90 days in jail in her tampering case.
Ranger Bradley Freeman, whose testimony was crucial in getting a jury this fall to convict Barrientes Vela on two felony counts of tampering with records, apologized to the court for mentioning a separate official oppression case while that jury was present.
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.
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.
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.
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