Alton, TXOfficials for the city have emphatically said that they did not know about the allegations of assault in a sexual manor by one time Police Chief Jose Luis Vela. The police chief was arrested for the allegations during 2007. Their declaration of having no knowledge of the situation follows directly on the heels of four employees, both present and prior, filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against both the city and Police Chief Vela. The employees involved in the lawsuit have suggested that officials dismissed their complaints. Also, Vela made threats to fire any employee that said anything about the matter to anybody else.
City officials have taken a stance that there is no record on file of any type of a complaint. Sexual harassment is considered a serious matter by the city. Normal procedures with such a case involving the city would have resulted in the suspension of the police chief while an investigation was launched into the allegations. Vela was taken into police custody Aug. 30, 2007. At the time, no less than two male police officers made allegations of sexual assault against Vela. The sexual assault was said to have transpired at parties in Vela's house in Palmview. The incidents happened on separate occasions at different parties.
Once the accusations became public knowledge, and additional three employees from the department made accusations against Vela as well. The allegations involve Vela inappropriately touching the three employees at both the police station and in patrol cars. Up until this week the names of the three employees had remained anonymous. However, the victims have placed their name upon the public record of the court filings within the lawsuit. The three victims that have most recently stepped forward with accusations against Vela are: Daniel Vargas, Enrique Saldana, Jose Martinez, and Rolando Cano. The complaint was regarding Vela's sexual harassment and misconduct was placed with the former city manager, Larry Rincones. This was a few weeks prior to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office launched the criminal investigation into the circumstance surrounding the allegations against Vela. The city failed to take action at first when the report was made. Vela learned of the three men filing the complaint. He made threats to prevent them from finding work in alternate local police precincts if they continued to make accusations against him.
Within the lawsuit there is no allusion to the exact dates the victims filed their complaints against Vela. The case will have to be public knowledge before the district attorney's office will disclose the dates and various other details surrounding the grievances filed. It is believed that all complaints have been accounted for to this date. After Vela's apprehension last year a police dispatcher along with two police officers have resigned from the police force. Only one of the original employees remains on the force. Vela was also accused of stealing a gun which officers had seized. Vela is out on bond at this time. The case awaits analysis from a grand jury.
By: Delsia Hartford 
