Officials: Texas Sheriff's Captain Mowing Instead Of Working
BROWNSVILLE (AP) — A South Texas sheriff's captain has lost his job after authorities found he falsified his time sheet by indicating he was working when he was actually mowing the fields at a county airport and then selling the bales of hay.
Cameron County sheriff's Capt. Jose Carlos Garza must surrender his peace officer's license as part of a pre-trial diversion program he entered after being charged with tampering with a governmental record.
The 49-year-old Garza held the contract to mow at the airport. District Attorney Luis Saenz tells The Brownsville Herald that selling the bales could net up to $200,000 a year.
Authorities say Garza falsified time sheets in 2016. He had been with the department for more than 20 years.
He faces up to two years in prison should he violate terms of the diversion program.