The New Year began pretty much the same way the old year ended at the Bexar County Sheriff's office, with Sheriff Javier Salazar late New Year's night firing a deputy who had been arrested earlier in the evening, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
About 8PM Tuesday, off duty Detention Corporal Rachelle Balmez was arrested on charges of assault bodily injury-married.
Balmez, had been a deputy since November of 2014, but she was on desk duty following another domestic disturbance in September of 2017, so Salazar was able, under civil service rules, to terminate her employment effective immediately.
“Misconduct will not be tolerated, especially when a clear cut pattern of misbehavior is apparent. Once probable cause was established, I made the determination to immediately arrest this employee and initiate termination proceedings," the Sheriff said in a statement.
Magistrate records show Balmez was brought before a magistrate shortly before midnight last night, and bond was set at $2,000.
In 2018, Salazar dealt with some two dozen deputies and employees being arrested, mainly for drunk driving and domestic violence charges.
Salazar says an Internal Affairs investigation has begun into the incident, and the case itself also remains under investigation.