Convicted Felon Wins Primary In Hidalgo County

TexasRed · #1 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 12:50 AM

Cant imagine why anyone else in the world might think our election processes here in Texas might be a little jacked up :roll:

Walo Bazan may be a felon, but that didn't stop Hidalgo County's incumbent Precinct 5 constable from winning the Democratic primary Tuesday.

With no Republican challenger, the five-term incumbent is set to be re-elected. He'll take office with a felony record, no license and a legal restriction barring him from carrying a weapon, The Monitor reported.

His Democratic opponents, Mario Leal and Juan Diaz Aleman, conceded as election returns came in Tuesday night.

"If that's what the people want, then that's fine," Leal told the newspaper. "I'm not disappointed."

Bazan has retained much of his support in the region despite his conviction on theft charges in 2006.

While he was under criminal indictment in 2004, he won re-election by more than 1,000 votes over his closest competitor.

His conviction on those charges didn't sway voters this year for Bazan, who is popular for his policies of patrolling the streets around area schools and providing free escort services for funerals.

On Tuesday, he got more than 63 percent of the total vote in a race in which nearly 5,900 votes were cast in unofficial returns. He got almost 2,000 votes over Leal.

After a jury found him guilty of getting personal use of a car his deputies seized, a state licensing board revoked Bazan's peace officer's license in 2006. Bazan, who is appealing that conviction, has kept his post despite efforts by Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra to remove him.

Last year, the Texas attorney general issued a legal opinion that suggested constables do not necessarily need a law enforcement license to hold their office.

But Bazan has previously said he'll consider stepping down if the state's courts deny his appeals.