November 2006 - Posts
On Sunday December 3, 2006, El
Paso County Attorney
José Rodríguez will meet with dozens of residents of San Elizario and Clint who
have expressed concerns about the traffic checkpoints reinstated by the El Paso
Sheriff Department.
The County Attorney
was invited by members of the Border Network For Human Rights to talk to the
residents about issues related to the enforcement of civil immigration law by
local law enforcement agencies.
During the last couple of weeks,
colonias residents have expressed concerns about the possibility that traffic
checkpoints implemented by the El Paso Sheriff Department could be used to detain
illegal immigrants.
On October 10, 2006, El Paso Sheriff
Leo Samaniego announced that he was reinstating the Department's vehicle checkpoints,
and even though he clearly stated that the only purpose was to enforce traffic
laws of the State of Texas,
some residents still fear that officers will target illegal immigrants.
County Attorney José R. Rodríguez
explained that the meeting will help to dispel resident's fears and to give
them more information about what role the local law enforcement officers play
with regards to enforcing the federal immigration laws.
"We need county residents to trust local
law enforcement officers enough to call them whenever they need help or a crime
has been committed. Public safety cannot be achieved if the residents,
regardless of their immigration status, fear the authorities," Rodríguez
explained.
The meeting will take place on
December 3, 2006 at 10 a.m. at the San Elizario Church, 1556 San Elizario Rd., in San Elizario.
WHO: County Attorney José R. Rodríguez
WHAT: Meeting
with San Elizario Residents
WHEN: Sunday December 3, 2006 at 10:00 AM
WHERE: San Elizario Church
1556 San Elizario Rd.
(San Elizario, TX)
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County
Attorney José R. Rodriguez will be in Washington until
Saturday and will only be available for phone interviews. To make arrangements,
please call Elhiu Dominguez at
546-2016.
Colonias Immigration Meeting Press Release.pdf
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El
Paso County
Attorney José R. Rodríguez announced today the sentencing of a Landscaping
Contractor accused of 3 charges of Deceptive Business Practices.
On Thursday November 16th
in County Criminal Court #1 Gerardo Rangel, doing business as “Rangel General
Construction and Landscaping,” pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to
one year probation, to serve 450 hours of community service, and to pay $4,850
in restitution to the victims. The judge also assessed a $6,000 fine, which was
probated.
According to the criminal
complaints, between March 24 and August 27, 2006, Rangel received $6,400 in
advance to do landscaping work at 3 residences in East El
Paso, but failed to complete the work.
Rangel had previously pled guilty to
5 charges of Deceptive Business Practices in June, 2005 and sentenced to 1 year
in prison but granted ‘work release’ privileges. However he was re-arrested
after failing to comply with the “work release” order and served approximately
10 months in jail.
El Paso County
Attorney José R.
Rodríguez said consumers should always check the background on contractors
before giving them their hard earned money.
“In
these cases, had the consumers checked Mr. Rangel’s background, they would have
found that he had been previously convicted of Deceptive Business practices,”
said Rodríguez.
“Consumers
should always check the reputation of the vendor with agencies such as the
Better Business Bureau, the Texas Attorney General, or our office” said
Rodríguez.
For more information please contact
Assistant County Attorney Kent Sutton at 546-2050.
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Rangel Convicted Press Release.pdf
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El Paso County Attorney José R.
Rodríguez announced today the sentencing of a local swimming pool contractor accused
of 4 criminal charges of Deceptive Business Practices and one additional charge
of Theft by Check.
On Thursday
November 16th at County
Criminal Court #2, Archie
Castañón pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to one year probation,
and to serve 400 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay $48,000
in restitution to the victims of Deceptive Business Practices, and to pay an
additional restitution of $14,393 to cover 46 hot checks that Castañón gave to
local merchants.
According to the
criminal complaints Castañón, doing business as “Shimmering Pools and Spas” and
“Rainbow Pools and Spas,” received thousands of dollars for the construction of
4 swimming pools at several homes in East and West El Paso, but never finished
the jobs. According to one of the complainants, Castañón also falsely
represented himself as being a member of the Better Business Bureau, the El
Paso Association of Builders and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Margaret
Perez, Director of the local Better Business Bureau, stated “Archie Castañón,
or any name under which he did business, were never members of the Better
Business Bureau. Unscrupulous operators sometimes falsely claim to be members
of our organization to gain the confidence of consumers.”
Ms. Perez
warned, “Check them out. Call our office ask if they are current members and
ask if we have any complaints against their company. It is better to find out before you turn over
your money than after you’ve put it in their hands.”
County Attorney
José R. Rodríguez said consumers should be careful when hiring individuals to
do construction work in their homes.
“Consumers must
be very cautious when it comes to giving money up front to contractors. Pay the
complete amount of the contract only after the job is finished, and after
corroborating the quality of the goods or services.” said José R. Rodríguez,
For
more information about the case, please contact Clinton
Cross at 546-2050.
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Pool Contractor Press Release.pdf
El Paso County Attorney José R.
Rodríguez announced today the sentencing of an individual found guilty of dumping
restaurant grease into a storm drain located next to El Paso City Hall.
On
November 6, 2006 Lorenzo Chavez, Jr., employed by Chavez Plumbing and Sons,
pled guilty to one charge of unauthorized discharge of waste or pollutant in
violation of the Texas Water Code. Mr. Chavez was sentenced to 12 months
probation, pay a $5,000 fine, serve 80 hours of community service, and ordered
to pay court costs.
The
offense occurred in December 2004, when a citizen leaving City Hall observed a
man dumping an oily thick substance from a container into the storm drain on Durango Street, in
front of City Hall. The citizen wrote
down the license plate number of the truck used by the defendant and reported
the incident to her City Representative, who then referred the matter to the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Upon further investigation, the defendant
admitted dumping waste from a grease trap he, his father and brother were
installing at a restaurant in City Hall.
The
prosecution of the case was possible due to the coordinated efforts of the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, El Paso Police Dept., El Paso Water
Utilities, and the Environmental Services Code Compliance Office.
"The unauthorized discharge of waste or
pollutants into waters of the state is a very serious environmental crime which
we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law," said County Attorney José
R. Rodríguez.
"Dumping
anything but clean water into the storm drain is especially bad for the
environment because the contaminant goes directly into the underground water or
into the river, its ultimate destination.
It is unfair for the victims of this type of illegal dumping, namely those
of us who pay for water, to have to pay for the decontamination of water polluted
by unscrupulous merchants who try to save a few dollars by illegally disposing
of their waste." Rodríguez added.
Unauthorized
discharge is an on-going problem in the county
of El Paso, and the County Attorney's
Office will continue to prosecute such offenders. The penalty for unauthorized discharge ranges
from a fine of note less than $1,000 but not more than $50,000 for an
individual, or up to 1 year in jail, or both.
For an association or corporation, the fine is up to $100,000. To
report illegal dumping or other environmental crime, call your local law
enforcement agency: The Environmental
Hotline at 1-888-6EL-PASO, El Paso
Police Dept. at 832-4400, or El Paso Sheriff's Dept. at 546-2280.
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Illegal Dumping Sentencing Press Release.pdf
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Today at 4:30 PM El
Paso County Attorney José Rodríguez will hold an emergency press
conference to inform about an investigation into allegations of malfunctioning
of several Diebold electronic voting machines in El Paso County.
Both the
Office of the Texas Secretary of State and the County Elections Department have
been informed about complaints received by this office regarding alleged
problems encountered by several citizens who went to cast their votes during
the early voting period for the November 7 election.
More details will be released during
the press conference.
WHO: El Paso County Attorney
José Rodríguez
WHAT: Investigation
into Complaints from voters
WHEN: Friday (TODAY!!!) November 3, 2006 at 4:30
PM
WHERE: Comissioner's Court
Chambers
500 E. San Antonio,
3rd Floor, Room 303
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Voting Machines Press Release.pdf
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