By Juan Montoya
First, for the good news.
As of this past Tuesday, former Brownsville Fire Department Chief Carlos Elizondo – who was under suspension – was officially terminated.
![Image result for elixondo, cabler, estrada]()
Now, for the bad news.
Due to an "oversight" by the City of Brownsville Human Resources Department director Oscar Salinas, former City Manager Charlie Cabler, Elizondo, and current Interim Fire Chief Jarrett V. Sheldon, the suspended former Asst. Fire Chief Ernie Estrada will be back on the force as a basic firefighter.
But the silver lining is that Elizondo, who was also on suspension, will not be able to return to the force because even if the initial 180-day period under civil service had expired, an indcitment issued by a Cameron County grand jury triggered an additional 180 day period.
Both men were suspended when an audit by the city commisison and an internal city audit charged that both had rerouted patient transfers from the city's EMS to a private firm with links to Elizondo, Intercity Ambulance Service, and deprived the city of more than $62,000.
Both Elizondo and Estrade were found by the audits to have personally called the city dispatchers to route the calls to Intercity.
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However, even after the result of the city commission audit and the city internal audit findings that they were responsible, neither the fire chief (Elizondo and Sheldon) nor city manager Cabler, or HR chief Salinas) ever initiated action to file any type of disciplinary, administrative or criminal charges against the men.
And even after the two audits pointed to Elizondo and Estrada, no criminal process was ever initiated by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office on the matter.
A grand jury did indict Elizondo on two charges alleging Theft by a Public Servant and Misapplication of Fiduciary Property, and later two more counts of two counts of computer security breach for allegedly entering computers and trying to alter reports to blame others for the theft charges.
It was the later indictments that triggered action from Interim City Manager Michael Lopez to terminate Elizondo.
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The case of Estrada is something peculiar to the city of Brownsville under the Cabler regime. At that time, the city was able to wrest a concession from a puppet firefighters union board that allowed the fire chief to appoint one of two assistant fire chiefs of his choosing even if they had not been officers of had progressed up the ladder.
Elizondo appointed Estrada, a Cabler favorite, depite the fact that he was just a starting firefighter and promoted him over seasoned veterans with vastly more experience. The city audit found that it resulted in creating a dangerous and hazardous situation in the department.
Although the 180day period for termination has eneded for Estrada, the finding of the audit that he helped to divert funds from the city's EMS to a private company still leaves him open for prosecution by the county prosecutor, but it doesn't appear likeley that DA Luis V. Saenz will take any action.
For now, it appears city firefighters will have to take Estrada back into their ranks despite his very checkered past.
First, for the good news.
As of this past Tuesday, former Brownsville Fire Department Chief Carlos Elizondo – who was under suspension – was officially terminated.
Now, for the bad news.Due to an "oversight" by the City of Brownsville Human Resources Department director Oscar Salinas, former City Manager Charlie Cabler, Elizondo, and current Interim Fire Chief Jarrett V. Sheldon, the suspended former Asst. Fire Chief Ernie Estrada will be back on the force as a basic firefighter.
But the silver lining is that Elizondo, who was also on suspension, will not be able to return to the force because even if the initial 180-day period under civil service had expired, an indcitment issued by a Cameron County grand jury triggered an additional 180 day period.
Both men were suspended when an audit by the city commisison and an internal city audit charged that both had rerouted patient transfers from the city's EMS to a private firm with links to Elizondo, Intercity Ambulance Service, and deprived the city of more than $62,000.
Both Elizondo and Estrade were found by the audits to have personally called the city dispatchers to route the calls to Intercity.
And even after the two audits pointed to Elizondo and Estrada, no criminal process was ever initiated by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office on the matter.
A grand jury did indict Elizondo on two charges alleging Theft by a Public Servant and Misapplication of Fiduciary Property, and later two more counts of two counts of computer security breach for allegedly entering computers and trying to alter reports to blame others for the theft charges.
It was the later indictments that triggered action from Interim City Manager Michael Lopez to terminate Elizondo.
The case of Estrada is something peculiar to the city of Brownsville under the Cabler regime. At that time, the city was able to wrest a concession from a puppet firefighters union board that allowed the fire chief to appoint one of two assistant fire chiefs of his choosing even if they had not been officers of had progressed up the ladder.Elizondo appointed Estrada, a Cabler favorite, depite the fact that he was just a starting firefighter and promoted him over seasoned veterans with vastly more experience. The city audit found that it resulted in creating a dangerous and hazardous situation in the department.
Although the 180day period for termination has eneded for Estrada, the finding of the audit that he helped to divert funds from the city's EMS to a private company still leaves him open for prosecution by the county prosecutor, but it doesn't appear likeley that DA Luis V. Saenz will take any action.
For now, it appears city firefighters will have to take Estrada back into their ranks despite his very checkered past.