By Juan Montoya
Once the poster child of the City of Brownsville under City Manager Charlie Cabler, former Fire Chief Carlos Elizondo – since demoted and suspended without pay – sought to avoid facing the media cameras and reporters' questions at his arraignment in the 107th District Court today.
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A grand jury indicted Elizondo one charge each of of Theft by a Public Official and Misappropriation of Fiduciary Property. The Brownsville Firefighters Association say that as secretary of their Political Action Committee, he used their PAC's bank account for his personal benefit, withdrawing (personally or though his agents) at least $8,000 without authorization.
Scheduled for 1 p.m., Elizondo and his new attorney Eddie Lucio Jr. (not related to the senator or state rep by the same name), showed up about five minutes early and, seeing the gaggle of cameras and reporters, walked down the corridor to the opposite side of the third floor of the Cameron County Courthouse.
The cameras followed, of course, and filmed him as he and Lucio sat on a bench. After a while, Lucio led Elizondo through the corridor between the back of the courtrooms and the judges' chambers off limits to non-court personnel and the media. They emerged in Ben Euresti's court entering through a side door.
Since he was required by the court to be present at his arraignment to prove he had not absconded on his bond, his attorney entered a plea of not guilty and waived his arraignment appearance before the court.
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After that, Elizondo and Lucio walked through the stairs and dodged the reporters. Elizondo sat inside Lucio's car with tinted windows as the attorney fielded questions from some broadcast reporters.
And to think that just one day before – as a member of the board of the Brownsville Independent School District – his image was televised through the district's cable channel as the board did the annual business of its $540 million budget.
And so the man whose face was exhibited to the world as a symbol of the City of Brownsville now shielded his face from the public and let his lawyer do the talking.
Once the poster child of the City of Brownsville under City Manager Charlie Cabler, former Fire Chief Carlos Elizondo – since demoted and suspended without pay – sought to avoid facing the media cameras and reporters' questions at his arraignment in the 107th District Court today.
A grand jury indicted Elizondo one charge each of of Theft by a Public Official and Misappropriation of Fiduciary Property. The Brownsville Firefighters Association say that as secretary of their Political Action Committee, he used their PAC's bank account for his personal benefit, withdrawing (personally or though his agents) at least $8,000 without authorization.Scheduled for 1 p.m., Elizondo and his new attorney Eddie Lucio Jr. (not related to the senator or state rep by the same name), showed up about five minutes early and, seeing the gaggle of cameras and reporters, walked down the corridor to the opposite side of the third floor of the Cameron County Courthouse.
The cameras followed, of course, and filmed him as he and Lucio sat on a bench. After a while, Lucio led Elizondo through the corridor between the back of the courtrooms and the judges' chambers off limits to non-court personnel and the media. They emerged in Ben Euresti's court entering through a side door.
Since he was required by the court to be present at his arraignment to prove he had not absconded on his bond, his attorney entered a plea of not guilty and waived his arraignment appearance before the court.
And to think that just one day before – as a member of the board of the Brownsville Independent School District – his image was televised through the district's cable channel as the board did the annual business of its $540 million budget.
And so the man whose face was exhibited to the world as a symbol of the City of Brownsville now shielded his face from the public and let his lawyer do the talking.