Former Alamo Police Chief Baudelio Castillo will have to wait a little longer to see if a judge will order the city to give him back his job.
That’s if state District Judge Marla Cuellar determines whether she even has jurisdiction to hear the case.
Castillo sued Alamo Mayor Diana Martinez, Alamo City Commissioners Robert De La Garza and Maria Del Pilar Garza, Alamo City Manager Luciano Ozuna Jr. and the city itself on June 12, approximately three weeks after the city fired him at a meeting.
The former police chief claims the city and its officials violated Texas whistleblower laws by retaliating against him for investigating alleged wrongdoing by city officials.
On July 16, Castillo filed a motion asking Cuellar to reinstate him as the city’s top cop.
Cuellar was set to hear that motion Thursday morning, but Wednesday court filings pushed that hearing back so attorneys could prepare responses.
But before Cuellar rules on motions filed by either side, she will hold a hearing to determine whether she even has jurisdiction to take the case.
After the hearing, Castillo said he couldn’t say much.
“It’s a process,” he said of the delay.
Cuellar previously dismissed another lawsuit Castillo filed because he failed to meet criteria needed to waive government immunity, specifically that he never started or exhausted the city’s grievance or appeal procedures before suing, according to newspaper archives.
Once Castillo failed to convince city commissioners to reinstate him during an appeal hearing on June 10, he filed the latest lawsuit.
In the litigation, Castillo cites several “investigations” he says resulted in the alleged retaliation, including bribery and theft cases.
“Plaintiff reported other bribery cases and some theft cases involving city of Alamo public officials and employees to the Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney Office,” the lawsuit read. “All this was reported to Defendant Ozuna who is the city of Alamo City Manager.”
Castillo declined to provide any new details on those investigations after the hearing on Thursday.
