Texas AG Charges Webb County Couple Under Anti-Colonia Law

LAREDO, Texas (AP) – The Texas Attorney General’s Office sued landowners in Webb County, accusing a couple of violating the state’s colonia-prevention law.

The suit, filed in district court in Austin on Jan. 7, accuses John R. Daves and his wife, Leonor, of selling three residential lots east of Laredo without installing or bonding for water and sewer services as required by state law.

The law is designed to prevent the sale of residential lots in border areas without basic utilities. Such sales have led to so-called colonias, low-income residential communities where unsanitary conditions can result from lack of electricity and running water.

The Daves are accused of selling three parcels in 2005 and 2007 for $26,675 to $34,000. The Attorney General’s Office is seeking a permanent injunction preventing the sale of other lots and fines up to $45,000 for the three sales.

A message left at a number listed for the Daves in Laredo was not immediately returned Monday.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)