By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Mayor Joe H. Hernandez
This case just got more complicated.
As former San Benito City Commissioner Ricardo R. Rodriguez continues to press for the investigation into his allegations that San Benito Mayor Joe H. Hernandez made terroristic threats against him and other members of the community, more developments continue to transpire. Said allegations stem from an incident in which Rodriguez accuses the mayor of taking pictures of the ex-commissioner’s San Benito home on the 200 block of Yoakum. When approached, Rodriguez has alleged that Hernandez threatened his life as well as the life of another man.
Rodriguez arrived at the News office Tuesday morning with 81-year-old Abel Garcia of San Benito, an alleged witness who has come forward. “They (officials) said I didn’t have a witness (to my allegations against the mayor), so I’m bringing him to you, so you know I do have a witness,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he also went to the Cameron County District Attorney’s office, where he said he was informed the DA gave the San Benito Police Department three days to conduct an investigation into the aforementioned incident and before turning over their findings.
SBPD Assistant Chief of Operations Michael Galvan said, “It strikes me as odd that the DA’s office is demanding the report in three days. Who over there is asking for it? We have felony cases, aggravated cases that get dismissed and they’re putting all of their attention on this case? It’s starting to smell political.”
Rodriguez, however, was displeased with the police department’s progress on the case thus far, stating that a detective has yet to contact him. “Police haven’t called me or done anything on the investigation. The police have told me nothing,” Rodriguez said.
Specifically, Rodriguez has accused the mayor of making personal threats against his life and the life of Alfonso Benavides, the man who filed an ethics complaint against Hernandez on January 20 of this year which launched what is now commonly referred to as the raspagate scandal. The scandal also led to the mayor’s recent indictment on a charge of abuse of official capacity.
“He was in his green truck with a camper, taking pictures of my house,” Rodriguez said of the mayor. When he approached Hernandez, Rodriguez alleged that the mayor said, “I’m gonna kill Benavides. I’m gonna kill you. I’m gonna get rid of you. I’m gonna burn you out of your houses.”
Garcia said he was dining at a Harlingen restaurant on October 27 when he saw the mayor. Garcia said, “I sat down with (Hernandez), and he showed me his professional camera, said, ‘This is my professional camera.’ He showed me the picture of him (Rodriguez)…he said, ‘I’m gonna get this guy. He’s gonna be sorry.’”
In response to these allegations, Mayor Joe H. Hernandez said, “I actually made a police report on how things went. I did show him (Garcia) a picture, but they’re taking this thing out of context. It had nothing to do with their allegations.” Furthermore, Hernandez said it was at Garcia’s home where he showed him the picture and not at the restaurant.
Rodriguez explained that he intended to let Benavides live on his property and alleges that this is what prompted Hernandez’s threats.
Simply put, of Garcia’s accusations, Hernandez said, “He’s a liar. Those guys (Rodriguez, Garcia and Benavides) are gossipers. He’s (Garcia) called the biggest liar in the city. Now he joined forces with this guy Rodriguez and this other guy (Benavides). He’s a looney.”
Regarding why it took him 12 days to alert authorities of this incident, Rodriguez said, “At first I didn’t see it, take it seriously. But then it came back to my mind. He (Hernandez) said he was going to burn me out and finish with me. Then, what he told Abel…I had to do something.”
Meanwhile, Hernandez continues to deny the accusations made against him. “These people really want me to go under,” Hernandez said. “Those are complete lies. I didn’t know that these people would go to the extreme to say lies to bring me down.”
In addition to the aforementioned accusations, Rodriguez, Garcia and Benavides allege further that the mayor is following them or having them followed around town. The mayor again denies such accusations. “Look at where this is getting to,” said Hernandez. “Here I am, wondering what’s gonna happen with the courts (raspagate) over here, and look at these guys. It’s hearsay…I guess they’re all out there to get me.”
Hernandez said of his accusers, “They have too much free time if they don’t have anything else to do other than threaten me. There is a threat on my life if these people are out there saying that. If they can say that, can you imagine what else they would do?”
Of the action the SBPD is taking in this case, Galvan said, “We don’t discriminate. We are going to treat all cases the same.”
Read this story in the Nov. 14 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
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Cameron County tax records reflect that Hernandez owes $486.09 in taxes for the 2011 tax year on a lot at Carricitos Resubdivision to the South Texas Independent School District, Cameron County, Drainage District No. 3, and Emergency Services. The total includes the base tax due of $346.47, penalty and interest of $76.22, and $63.40 in attorney fees.
Public records also show that Hernandez’s mailing address is the same for another property that is under the name of a Hernandez family member and has a tax delinquency of $2,439.92, which includes a base tax of $1,286, penalty and interest of $825, and attorney fees of $327.
The property consists of three lots at Colonia La Palma. Delinquent taxes are owed on that property from 2004 through 2011 to the city of San Benito, STISD, Cameron County and Drainage District No. 3.
I hope you all have and share a Happy Thanksgiving with all your families and friends. Love and peace to everyone.
En boca del mentiroso, lo cierto se hace dudoso.
Ms. Cacazos-
I have no interest in debating the facts of this case. I don’t know enough about it, nor do I care. However, I am the son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez and I’m deeply disturbed by your inaccurate, vicious and borderline-slanderous comments about some issues regarding the Rodriguez family (who you smear by association and innuendo). It was extremely difficult to wade through your poor punctuation, horrific spelling and atrocious grammar (surely you must be semi-literate, at best), but your completely non-factual and ignorant statements and accusations are clearly based on false neighborhood gossip and likely your own personal bias. Would you like to know the facts? If so, feel free to email me at milhausdog@msn.com and I will do my best to educate you. Again, I couldn’t care less about the case; I’m far more concerned about your completely uninformed personal aspersions towards the Rodriguez family as a whole. Please do contact me so you can learn something. And next time you want to launch a personal attack in a comments section, get your facts straight and use spell-check.
You say that you don’t know enough about the case nor care about it, how would you be able to educate anyone, if you don’t know or care.
As for why it took Mr. Rodriguez so long to report the terroristic threats made against him, perhaps it’s because he is fully aware of the SBPD’s failure to act when Mr. Benavides made a complaint of terroristic threats by one of the mayor’s supporters. Like so many in this community have learned, it’s not prudent to speak up against the mayor. Those who do risk harassment and retaliation. You know what I’m talking about…”Henry.” You all know what I’m talking about.
Let’s look at recent events that support my position. In 2010, we have the property tax forfeiture issue involving the mayor, which all are well aware of. Then City Attorney Cassidy and Commissioners Garcia, Sanchez and Elliott, acknowledged the mayors forfeiture when they upheld the Charter, much to the ire of the mayor. Since Hernandez was reelected as mayor in 2011, this is what he’s done to retaliate against those he feels wronged him:
Garcia – had his name removed as mayor from the Veteran’s Memorial plaque.
Sanchez and Elliott – removed from the EDC Board even though their terms were not up for reappointment.
City Attorney Cassidy – terminated her services with the city, and appointed two new members to the public housing board with the sole intent to retaliate against her.
There’s more:
Removed Sandra Tumberlinson from the Veteran’s Advisory Board even though her term was not up. She was the only member who opposed his changing the Veteran’s plaque.
Removed citizens Frederico Garza and Shirley Baker-Vega from the EDC Board, even though their terms were unexpired, simply because they were appointed by two of the commissioners he feels wronged him.
These are patterns of abuse of official capacity – and worse – by the mayor that everyone in this and surrounding communities have witnessed for some time. Everyone ironically sees it clearly but our own police department, at least some within. Many find it hard to believe that the PD, having so many examples of a clear pattern of retaliation by the mayor played out so publicly, cannot see the mayor’s propensity for revenge. Now his actions have risen to the level of harassment, intimidation and threats.
It’s downright disgraceful when citizens cannot trust their own PD and have to seek protection from outside the community, like the District Attorney’s Office, because their own PD refuses to protect them. It’s downright disgraceful that a citizen can make a complaint of a life-threatening nature and the witness to collaborate is not even interviewed until a full week later. It’s downright disgraceful that the DA has to instruct the PD to investigate and set time limits for them to do so. It’s disgraceful that a high ranking police official would decry the allegations as political before his department interviews the collaborating witness.
Most disgraceful of all is that citizens of this community have to take their complaints to the media and outside law enforcement agencies to be heard and protected because they cannot get equal protection under the law in their own community. Meanwhile, a man under indictment, with a very public history of retaliation, is allowed to roam the streets threatening and intimidating witnesses, going so far as to brazenly snap photos of a residence and person – and then admitting as much.
I commend Mr. Rodriguez in this instance, Mr. Benavides before him, and all the other citizens to come who speak up and take action against the corrupt practices in this community, not only by the mayor but others, as well. The people are no longer willing to accept San Benito as it has become. They are fed up and they are demanding change. More and more they are willing to come forward and be heard. This is the only way to get a San Benito that works for all. Make all the derogatory remarks about these men that you want. These are the true leaders of this community.
People the mayor has done this on himself! How dare him wanting to blame others for his stupid mistakes. He took himself down when he broke the law by abusing his power and now this scandal. I believe the mayor is guilty guilty guilty on all that he is being accused of. Yes, “cuando el rio suena, es que agua lleva”. I applaud you Mr. Rodriguez for bringing this forward to the authorities and to the media. As taxpayers we deserve to know what the “peluquero del pueblo” and his cronies are up to. As for the mayor, admit your guilt and pack up your pags! You are going to jail sir! Lord please grant us a decent mayor who can talk, dress nicely but above all wil OBEY THE LAW!!! I say AMEN to that!!!!
Now I know all this political, ok Mr Hernandez was taking pictures, have you seen them houses Mr Rodriguez has on his property? I don’t think they are up to code. If someone were to threaten me, I would call the police, while he was still standing there, not 12 days later. All Mr Rodriguez is doing is wasting tax payers money on all this. I have a question: has Mr Rodriguez ever worked? As I renember the family used to get over 500.00 of gossip assistance and state medical assistance and so does Mr benavides. I think they are people that are getting paid, to do all this, because as we all know is that they don’t do anything for free. Sad to say is that watch out Mr Hernandez, people like that will commit perjury to get what they want. They have no respect for themselves or other people.
N
Your email speaks volumes about your character. You judge others as you use this website to spew your lies. So from your choice of fighting words I take that your post had nothing to do with the article above and everything to do with my family. You use this site to launch a personal attack against MY FATHER and his family.(cheap shot) You would be one to know something about abuse since that is what you have used this site for. Lady, your not the brightest crayon in the box. He who lives in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones! A cowards way is never to be seen or heard. You my dear are a COWARD. My question to you is, do you have something you want to get off your chest? You dare speak of respect? If that is the case then why would you hide your identity. You call yourself Cindy Cacazos yet sign off with the letter N. “COWARD” At least stand by what you put out there, back it up. Get a job or another hobby. You have too much time on your hands. Perhaps a GED coarse or computer literacy class. Slander = slan·der A malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.
Melinda Rodriguez
Rodriguez, take it to court. You’re just like everyone else – fighting your battles in the press. You are no different than Hernandez or any other shady San Benito official, whether it be city or school district. Take it to court. Do it the right way. Let the legal system take care of it. Shame on you. Have some integrity and respect for yourself. If you mean to slander his name or just cause bad attention towards him or make yourself or someone else look good, have the marbles to at least say so. What are your intentions in all this? To bring him down? Take it to court, not the press. Do it the right way. This is pathetic. A joke. Sad. Both sides of this story.
Cuando el río suena, agua lleva.
looney, looney, looney, liar, liar, liar, pants on fire. A mayor taking pictures of a house. Was he trying to intimidate or was he helping establish what houses needed to be torn down? The house belong to Rodriguez who was going to lease it to Benavides, who filed a complaint against the mayor. Does this smell like politics or criminal charges? Intimidating a witness is a serious offense. Ask the question, why was the mayor taking pictures of Rodriguez’s house? The mayor says it is political, maybe he started the politics. Abuse of power is also a serious offense. Just because you are the mayor does not give you the right to intimidate or harass the citizens of San Benito.
Waste of taxpayer money. I just googled this Alfonso Benavides character and it seems that he was busted for harboring a minor. What kind of supposed civic leader is this guy. I think the police need to keep on eye on that dude. If you don’t believe me, just google him and look at his mug shot. Now that is a criminal! Is this guy a drug dealer too?
As for Rodriguez, well, if I would have been threatened like he says he was threatened, well, I would have called the police ASAP. I know I would not have waited that long to say anything. It all looks cooked up to me. Just too many questions as to who the real criminal is here?