Sheriff's deputies suspended pending investigation
EDINBURG — Two sheriff’s deputies remain suspended with pay pending further findings of a probe led by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Lupe Treviño said the employees, who work under the department’s robbery unit, were pulled from their jobs due to “suspicious activity,” though he declined to elaborate.
Treviño said he is supervising a “bilateral investigation” that will scrutinize internal affairs at the agency as well as criminal activity in Hidalgo County. The sheriff said its findings could lead to the pair’s termination and criminal prosecution.
“This was not all overnight,” the sheriff said of the pair’s suspension. “This will be a painstaking, thorough and detailed investigation.”
The department is consulting with the FBI and the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office to determine what charges, if any, will be filed in the case.
Treviño declined to identify the two deputies because they have not been formally accused of any wrongdoing.
The probes, which began several weeks ago, are linked to a drug raid the sheriff’s office carried out on Oct. 15 in Mission. The city’s Police Department assisted in the raid.
The sheriff declined to provide further details, noting he did not want to jeopardize the ongoing probe.
“It will be a thorough, unbiased investigation,” he said.
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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.
