More accusations against Alton police chief
Three employees accuse chief of fondling on the job
ALTON — Three more employees have accused suspended police Chief Jose Luis Vela of fondling them, in some cases while on the job, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said on Thursday.
Authorities do not plan additional charges against Vela, who was accused last week of sexually assaulting two male employees.
Fondling would only rank as a misdemeanor, so Treviño said his investigators will instead use the new accusations to corroborate the two felony sexual assault charges.
The sheriff’s office continues to investigate Vela’s conduct during his more than 10 years as Alton’s top cop.
The chief denied the charges at his arraignment last week, and he told reporters he did not know who had accused him. It is not clear whether the accusers are officers or civilian employees.
But, so far, two men have accused the chief of sexually assaulting them while they were passed out drunk at his home.
The three latest accusers told investigators they were fondled at the police station and in squad cars, Treviño said.
“Alcohol really wasn’t a factor in these three,” he said.
City officials have responded by suspending the chief with his $40,000 salary intact.
They have also launched a separate investigation into whether alcohol and drug paraphernalia were taken from the evidence locker during Vela’s leadership.
City Manager Jorge Arcaute said the evidence tampering investigation has hit a snag, because the department kept no filing system.
“Quite bluntly, there is no evidence log,” Arcaute said.
The department created an evidence log last week, and officials have begun to examine hundreds of police reports. Arcaute said they will reconstruct a log from those reports.
Police Lt. Eric Hernandez has assumed leadership duties. Vela remained in Hidalgo County jail on a $200,000 bond Thursday afternoon.
The city manager said action may soon be taken regarding Vela’s employment situation.
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Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.
