South Texas Judge Arrested

McALLEN, Texas (AP) _ A south Texas municipal judge has been arrested on a charge of theft by a public servant for allegedly using traffic fines paid by those who appeared before him to pay his personal credit card bill.

La Joya Municipal Court Judge Joe Henry Garza is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on the third-degree felony charge. It was not immediately clear if the 55-year-old judge had an attorney.

La Joya City Administrator Mike Alaniz says an internal city audit found discrepancies in fines collected by Garza’s court, and the case was turned over to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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