County to interview for Pct. 1 position

BROWNSVILLE - Cameron County commissioners will begin interviewing candidates seeking the Precinct 1 constable's post next week.

The interviews will be conducted Thursday, one week after newly elected Constable Jose "Joe" Maldonado Jr. resigned from his position.

Maldonado, 39, was elected to the position during the November general election. However, his win was short lived.

A Nov. 15 incident, in which he's accused of letting a friend fire his county issued handgun, had him facing criminal charges, which included deadly conduct and public intoxication.

According to a police report, Maldonado appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the incident.

In exchange for his resignation Friday, the District Attorney's Office agreed not to file criminal charges against Maldonado pertaining to the November incident, according to authorities.

District Attorney Armando Villalobos on Friday said he had received a copy of Maldonado's resignation letter.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said that although he received a copy of Maldonado's resignation letter, his resignation doesn't take effect until a new constable is seated.

Maldonado still has the option of withdrawing his letter anytime from today until Thursday, but Cascos doesn't believe this will happen.

Cascos said he has heard from people in the Precinct 1 area who prefer a candidate from the Laguna Madre area, which includes Port Isabel, Laguna Vista and Laguna Heights.

Precinct 1 covers the Laguna Madre area as well as parts of Brownsville. However, a larger portion of the precinct encompasses the Laguna Madre area.

The county judge said that he too would prefer the seated constable be from the Laguna Madre area, as well as someone with a strong law enforcement background who is articulate and has a clean record.

The candidates will be interviewed beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday with each consultation lasting about 15 minutes, Cascos said.

Commissioners can either present a final candidate at Thursday's commissioners court meeting, which begins at 5 p.m., or select the top two or three and conduct further interviews, Cascos said.

"The court could make an appointment that evening," the county judge said. "Let's hope the third time is a charm."

Maldonado was initially appointed to the position in November to fulfill the term of Constable Saul P. Ochoa, who automatically surrendered the seat following his September conviction on federal drug charges.

Ochoa is currently serving a 57-month prison term.