Alton police chief charged with public lewdness

MISSION — Alton Police Chief Baldemar Flores turned himself in to authorities Monday morning after learning he was wanted for public lewdness.

The arrest came after Mission police received “several complaints” from store personnel of a suspicious vehicle parked behind Auto Zone and the H-E-B near the intersection of Conway Avenue and Griffin Parkway, police said.

Store employees told police that the same man and woman were having sex inside vehicles while parked “in plain view,” according to a Mission police statement.

On Friday, Mission police received a call that the suspicious vehicles were parked behind one of the stores. Police said they saw two vehicles leaving the area, with one of the drivers later identified as Flores.

Police stopped the woman driving the second vehicle, as well. Criminal charges against her are pending, police said.

Employees told police the same two people had been going to the same location, sometimes twice a week, since last year, police said.

Flores, 34, learned of his arrest warrant and turned himself in to Mission police at 9 a.m. Monday, authorities said.

Mission Municipal Judge Jonathan Wehrmeister charged Flores with one count of public lewdness and gave him a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

Flores was booked at the Hidalgo County Jail late Monday morning and released shortly after noon, jail officials said.

Public lewdness is a class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in a county jail and up to a $4,000 fine.

Flores, who is rumored to planning challenge Mission Mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas in the mayoral election next year, could not be reached for comment late Monday afternoon.

Alton City Manager Jorge Arcaute said Flores has taken a leave of absence while the city conducts its own investigation into the allegations against the police chief. Assistant Police Chief Enrique Sotelo will serve in the interim, Arcaute said.

“We still need to do our own administrative inquiry before we rush to judgment,” Arcaute said.

Flores replaced former Alton police chief Jose Luis Vela, who was accused of fondling several officers in August 2007. Vela was fired from the department one month later.

In November 2008, a jury cleared Vela of sexual assault and theft charges. A judge dropped the rest of the former chief’s charges after he was acquitted.

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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.