SAN ANTONIO – Marc Garcia was indicted at the same time as ex-constable Michelle Barrientes Vela in early 2020, but their paths have taken vastly different courses since then.
Barrientes Vela is now a felon, convicted by a jury in 2022 on two counts of tampering with government records.
Garcia, who was fired by the Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office weeks after being charged with aggravated perjury and official oppression, was granted immunity during Barrientes Vela’s trial in exchange for his testimony against his one-time boss.
Garcia, however, never had to take the witness stand.
Testimony began Thursday before the county’s civil service commission as Garcia attempts to get reinstated to Precinct 2 and to be awarded years of back pay.
The demanded sum has climbed well into the six figures, Garcia’s attorney Mark Anthony Sanchez confirmed Thursday.
“My gut would twist”
Precinct 2 Sergeant Leonicio Moreno testified Thursday about his uncomfortable interactions at work with Garcia and Barrientes Vela after he was demoted from the constable’s command staff.
“I had so bad nerves that my gut would twist,” said Moreno, who claimed he sought counseling and lost sleep over his treatment in the workplace.
The extended testimony covered an incident in which an off-duty Moreno was confronted outside his home by fellow Precinct 2 deputies and ordered to turn over his service weapon.
Moreno said Garcia and Barrientes Vela spread a false rumor, which was later dispatched over county radios, that Moreno wanted to take his own life.
Moreno’s high-profile 2019 arrest for felony perjury also played a key role in his testimony Thursday as he recalled being driven around a neighborhood near the jail by fellow deputies after they reloaded him into a patrol vehicle.
Deputies later parked outside of the Bexar County Jail’s Sally port and walked a handcuffed Moreno in front of television cameras.
Prosecutors dismissed the criminal charge against Moreno within hours of his arrest.
He later received $215,000 as part of a mediated settlement with the county over his treatment in the workplace.
Sanchez, however, repeatedly noted Thursday that Moreno’s testimony focused on Barrientes Vela’s actions and not specifically on those of his client.
“We don’t decide cases that require due process on a guilt-by-association standard,” Sanchez told KSAT after the hearing ended for the day.
The hearing is scheduled to resume on Sept. 19.
Barrientes Vela’s appeal moves forward
The Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso is scheduled to submit Barrientes Vela’s case to a panel of judges late next week.
The attorney handling the ex-constable’s appeal did not respond to a phone call from KSAT seeking comment for this story.
Her appeal was previously moved from the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio to the Eighth Court of Appeals as part of a docket reallocation.
She was indicted by a grand jury months after leaving office during her first term and sentenced to five years probation and 90 days in jail early last year after a jury determined she knowingly altered security payment logs for Rodriguez Park.
Barrientes Vela remains on community supervision through early January 2028. To date, she has abided by the conditions of her probation, court records show.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, call 988 or text TALK to 741-741.
You can also reach out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) or the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) at 210-223-7233 (SAFE) or 800-316-9241. You can also text NAMI to 741-741.
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