Vargas’ Attorney: Absolutely Not Guilty

Arrested
Seen is footage of Michael Vargas under arrest getting into the back seat of a police vehicle.
(Footage courtesy of Harlingen Police Dept.)

By J. NOEL ESPINOZA
Special to the NEWS

Although his client refused to perform a sobriety test when arrested, the lawyer representing Board of Trustees President Michael A. Vargas said he will plead not guilty at his arraignment.

A police report obtained by the News indicates that Vargas, 32, was found “sleeping behind the wheel of a black passenger vehicle,” around 2 a.m. July 5.

Dan Sanchez, a Harlingen lawyer representing Vargas, said on Tuesday the arraignment will probably take a while before the DA’s office even takes the case.

“It’s going to take several months I’m sure because the lab report has to come back,” Sanchez said. “It’s going to be a while.”

Sanchez said his client is not guilty of the alleged DWI charges that Harlingen police reported the day Vargas was arrested.

The incident occurred along the 1500 block of N. Ed Carey St. Apparently, someone called the police in reference to an alleged intoxicated driver.

The reporting officer made contact with Vargas, who displayed red bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, according to documents obtained from the Harlingen Police Department.

The arresting officer, according to the police report, later asked him whether he was willing to perform a standardized field sobriety test, but Vargas refused.

“The male subject was deemed operating a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated,” the officer wrote in his report.

“Absolutely not guilty,” Sanchez said when pressed what Vargas is going to plea. “He’s not guilty. He’s presumed innocent.”

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2019/07/26/vargas-attorney-absolutely-not-guilty/

1 comment

    • Former San Bene taxpayer on July 26, 2019 at 2:18 pm
    • Reply

    To Vargas, if Dan “Vacation Mode” Sanchez is your attorney then you’ll be lucky if you don’t wind up in jail? If this is your first arrest, then you’ll be okay! My point is, if you’ve already paid Sanchez, good luck! You’ll only see him in court and he won’t return messages, so don’t bother! Sanchez puts more effort into going on vacation romps with his family then truly represent his clients.
    Let me see, you need to pay me first before I d anything, right? Its all about political pull with Sanchez and his relationship with Luis Saenz and his office!

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