Court names Carrizales to manage county

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In wake of Camacho’s suspension…

Vote harvesting investigation continues; commissioner’s and mother’s phones seized

Three days after having his phone seized by the Texas Attorney General’s Office during an ongoing elections misconduct investigation, Raul Carrizales has been named by fellow commissioners to oversee Frio County’s day-to-day operations in a 3-1 vote.
The decision came after elected Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho was suspended from duty without pay by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Having taken a leave of absence for medical reasons, the county judge was temporarily removed from office Monday, May 12, pending the outcome of a case in which she has been charged with three third-degree felony counts of vote harvesting. A grand jury indictment was handed down May 1.
Also indicted and subsequently arrested this month in the case were former county elections administrator Carlos Segura, newly re-elected Pearsall City Councilors Ramiro Trevino (county human resources director) and Racheal Garza, Pearsall ISD Board Member Adriann Ramirez (sister of the county judge), and local resident Rosa Rodriguez.
According to an affidavit filed at the district clerk’s office, Pct. 3 Commissioner Carrizales’ phone was seized in the wide-reaching case on Thursday, May 15, by Donald Smith, a sergeant with the Election Integrity Unit of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Attorney General’s Office. Officers also seized the phone belonging to the commissioner’s mother, Susanna Carrizales, the same day.

The affidavit in the vote-harvesting case against a number of local suspects indicates that Susanna Carrizales gave a statement on May 10, 2022, that she had made three payments totaling $1,000 to Cheryl Denise Castillo for help with her son’s election race for the county commissioner position.

Pct. 1 Comm. Joe Vela asked this week whether the commissioner appointed to oversee county operations would replace Camacho, the elected judge.

“We have to approach this as a wait-and-see scenario and see what happens,” Joseph Sindon, legal counsel for the court, said. “But as of right now she is still our judge. Just to be clear, we are not nominating anyone as judge.”

“Commissioners, as we had spoken about this earlier, I am still willing to take this, to handle this and be the one that you all designate if you all choose,” Comm. Carrizales said during a specially called meeting on Monday, May 19. “I am still willing; I have the time to do it.”

Sindon said the appointee would only oversee day-to-day operations and conduct meetings.

Pct. 2 Comm. Mario Martinez supported Carrizales for the position, citing the length of the appointee’s tenure in office.

“I think you are the most experienced here in the court,” Comm. Martinez said.

Martinez made the motion to nominate Carrizales and was supported in the move by Comm. Vela and the nominee himself. Pct. 4 Comm. Danny Cano voted against the appointment.