Defendant pleads guilty in the Rio Bravo water treatment case
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Aug 21, 2015, Comments Off
Courtesy Yanira Deleon,
The District Attorney’s Office secured a guilty plea in its case against Luis Alonso Camacho during the fourth day of trial.
This morning, Luis Alonso Camacho plead guilty to three counts of tampering with governmental records and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity, a state jail felony and a third-degree felony in the state of Texas, respectively. As part of his plea, Camacho will serve a 10 years sentence probated for 10 years.
On August 8, 2013, a boil water advisory was issued for the residents of Rio Bravo and El Cenizo after the Webb County Water Treatment Plant did not meet state standards. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) found many deficiencies where the water tested positive for E. coli. Webb County Utilities director Johnny Amaya resigned on August 21, 2013, after the three week alert. On August 30, 2013, county officials lifted the water boil alert. TCEQ set four requirements before the notice could be lifted which included healthy water turbidity, no presence of bacteria, acceptable chlorine levels and a thoroughly flushed distribution system. However, a few weeks after the water boil alert was lifted, residents of Rio Bravo were still experiencing water quality issues.
On April 1, 2014, District Attorney Isidro R. Alaniz requested an investigation to be conducted by the Texas Rangers. The investigation revealed that the daily and monthly reports had false figures of turbidity endangering the community. These false entries are believed to have been ordered by the director and carried out by supervisors and employees.
On October 8, 2014, Johnny Amaya, Jesus Gabriel Benavides, Luis Alonso Camacho, Gabino Palomo Cerda, Jesse Ibarra, Aniceto Pardo, Primitivo Trujillo-Nuñez, and Jose Alfredo Vasquez Jr. were arrested and charged with three counts of tampering with governmental records and one count in engaging in organized criminal activity.
Johnny Amaya will continue with his trial before the 49th District Court Judge Jose “Joe” Lopez. Luis Alonso Camacho will be sentenced at a later date.
Assistant District Attorney’s Ricardo Guerra, Ana de la Rosa, Francisco Mendoza and David Reuthinger are prosecuting the case for the State.
