Judge denies disgraced former constable’s request for new trial

A judge has denied a motion for a new trial for former Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela, convicted in December of tampering with evidence for altering cash records of her office’s handling of park fees.

Court documents indicate that in February, defense attorneys requested a new trial because they said several jurors “fell asleep” or constantly coughed during testimony, and because the presence of up to seven armed Bexar County District Attorney’s Office investigators gave the appearance Vela was dangerous.

Additionally, they pointed out that Texas Ranger Bradley Freeman disobeyed a court order to not divulge to the jury that Vela also had been charged with official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor. Freeman was held in contempt by state District Judge

Velia Meza, and his case is still pending.

The official oppression charges were aired during the punishment phase of the trial but eventually dismissed. Meza sentenced Vela to five years of probation and 90 days in jail on two counts of evidence tampering, a third-degree felony.

Following a lengthy hearing this week, Meza denied Vela’s request for a new trial. Her lawyers are appealing her conviction.

Partly because of the complexity of her office accounting system, the high-profile public corruption trial of Vela and her sentencing dragged on for months.

Besides Freeman, witnesses included a former records clerk and deputies who worked for Vela and the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2, Roberto Vazquez.

The investigation ranged from Vela’s handling of cash to her treatment of employees and citizens. It began with a 2019 Easter Sunday incident in which she demanded that a family gathering at Rodriguez Park give her $300 to cover security at a rented pavilion they already had paid for. The family filed a criminal complaint, but the extra fee turned out to be legal.

Vela had feuded with other elected officials and by 2019 was in the news for generating a perjury charge — which didn’t stick — against an employee who had decided to run against her.