Jury Seated in Trial of Former San Angelo Police Chief in Lubbock

LUBBOCK, TX — The trial of former San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez kicked off Monday morning with a slew of pre-trial proceedings. By 11:30 a.m., the jury was seated and the prosecution is set to begin its arguments after lunch.

Attorneys, David Guinn and Dan Hurley, for Vasquez were attempting to have the second charge, Honest Mail Fraud, dismissed. Federal District Judge James Wesley Hendrix denied the motions as untimely. 

“The indictment was filed in January 2020, about 27 months from today. I’d say January 24 of this year was the deadline for trial altering motions,” Hendrix said. The motions filed by the defense were made March 14.

The prosecution led by U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag seemed to have an easier time getting his pre-trial motions approved by the judge. Of particular concern for the defense were the denial of the ability to argue the prosecutor was engaged in selective prosecution. Also, there was a March 2015 golf tournament that, according to the prosecution, will be revealed during the testimony of Sheriff Nick Hanna. The sheriff was the lead investigator of the Vasquez case before he retired as a Texas Ranger. The judge will allow mention of the fundraiser event with few details.

The court then decided what exhibits would be shown to the jury. The defense, claiming Vasquez was an elected official and accountable only to the voters, not City of San Angelo employee policy, attempted to get the City purchasing manual and the State local government code governing City government purchasing procedures thrown out. The judge said he would allow the evidence.

There were 39 Lubbock citizens in the jury pool. The 12 jurors were selected and chosen by 11:30 a.m. The trial commences Monday afternoon.

Joe Hyde will be reporting from the courtroom in Lubbock nightly. Summary dispatches will be published for free on San Angelo LIVE! More detailed analysis and insights will be delivered via the Joe Hyde Report, a paid subscription email available for $50 annually. You can subscribe here. https://manage.campaignzee.com/YWn3wwzgng