Constable released after arrest on theft charges
EDINBURG — Hidalgo County Precinct 4 Constable Andres Rios was jailed Wednesday in connection with charges he stole prop-erty seized from delinquent taxpayers.
Rios, who was indicted last week, was arraigned and his bond set at $30,000.
He was released on his own recognizance, however, meaning he was not required put down any deposit.
In his indictment last week, a grand jury tagged him with three charges of theft by a public servant.
The charges cover incidents as long ago as January 2004 and allege Rios kept 32 coins, a riding lawn mower, two vehicles and a trailer that his office had seized from delinquent taxpayers.
The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Public Integrity Unit opened an investigation into the constable last year and raided his home, office and a third site.
As part of those raids, they found items Rios’ office had seized from delinquent taxpayers. Those items should have been sold at auction and the revenue from the sales forwarded to the Linebarger law firm, which handled delinquent tax issues for the county. The county’s contract with Linebarger has since been dropped for unrelated reasons.
No date has been set for a trial.
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Andres R. Martinez covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
