McALLEN — A police officer here resigned before she was arrested on a charge of tampering with physical evidence stemming from her handling of a case.
Dulce Jasmine Villalobos, 36, was arrested Tuesday and released from jail later that day on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
According to McAllen police spokesman Lt. Joel Morales, Villalobos “previously resigned and is no longer with the department.” Morales did not provide the exact date of her resignation.
Villalobos allegedly disposed of a purse containing drugs without submitting it as evidence or filing a report because “she wanted to get out of work on time to attend (a) soccer game,” notes her arrest warrant affidavit.
An ex-boyfriend reported the incident to police in February, telling officers that Villalobos had him throw the purse out the car window on the way to the game, refusing to do it herself because she was changing out of her work clothes while he was driving. The purse landed on the roof of a welding shop.
Investigators determined that the purse was from a Dec. 30, 2017, arrest of a woman for possession of drug paraphernalia in downtown McAllen. Although Villalobos did not make the arrest, she was called to assist with the incident. The woman told investigators she “threw her purse prior to being arrested,” according to the complaint, and “admit(ted) to storing crack cocaine in the purse on various occasions prior to being arrested.”
Investigators recovered the purse in the location where Villalobos’ then-boyfriend remembered throwing it and discovered crack cocaine and a glass pipe inside.
If convicted of the third-degree felony, Villalobos faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
