South Texas Police Chief Fired After Domestic Violence Arrest
HIDALGO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A police chief in South Texas is out of a job following his domestic violence arrest.
The Monitor reports Hidalgo's city manager said in a letter that Rodolfo "Rudy" Espinoza's termination was effective Tuesday, January 8 noting Espinoza's December 27 arrest on a misdemeanor charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member was a contract violation.
Espinoza's attorneys deny the allegations, saying the probable cause affidavit had factual inaccuracies. They say the alleged victim was Espinoza's girlfriend, not common-law wife.
The Hidalgo County sheriff's office had no comment on the inaccuracy allegation.
District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. says the alleged victim told his office she doesn't want Espinoza prosecuted but he says there's been no decision on how they'll proceed.
Espinoza had been on suspension since October as the city investigated allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct and potential conflicts of interest.
Hidalgo is a city of about 14,000 people located on the border with Mexico.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)