Auction for Guerra's home delayed

RAYMONDVILLE - The auction for Juan Angel Guerra's ranch-style home in Sebastian has been postponed until February.

According to a notice posted in the Willacy County Courthouse, the auction was to be held Tuesday afternoon, at the courthouse steps. However, a new notice states the auction will be held on Feb. 3 around noon.

Columbus, Ohio-based Chase Home Finance is acting as the mortgage servicer, the notice of substitute trustee sale states.

Willacy County Chief Appraiser Agustin Lopez in December said the former district attorney's home has an appraised value of $256,500.

Tuesday afternoon, Guerra refused to discuss the possible foreclosure of his home; his finances aren't important, he said.

"I'm just a regular citizen now," Guerra said, sitting inside his home.

This is the second time Guerra's house has faced forclosure. In July a similar notice was placed inside the courthouse. Guerra, however, stopped the auction by making payments before the September sale.

Previously, Guerra told the Valley Morning Star he had fallen behind on payments as he personally funded an investigation that led to grand jury indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. and several other local officials.

Information about how much the home's value was unavailable. Representatives for Dallas- based mortgage banking law firm of Barrett Daffin Frappier Turner & Engel said they were unable to release information. The property owner must agree to allow the firm to release the information, they said.

The Willacy County Clerk's Office said it did not have information on property lien.

Officials with the county tax assessor-collector's office said Guerra owed property taxes for 2007 of about $3,871 and for 2008 of about $2,518.

Tuesday afternoon Guerra said inquires into his finances were unnecessary.

Financial probes by the local media, he said, should be directed at heavyweight politicians, such as those he indicted in November.