El Paso County Judge faces backlash over son violating his own social distancing order

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego is dealing with community backlash following a house party held by his son in violation of the county's social distancing order that the judge himself had issued.

Samaniego told ABC-7 that he was unaware of the gathering on Saturday night, which involved fewer than ten of his son's friends, until he later found out about it from his daughter.

The judge said he was away from home, ironically visiting businesses to see if those businesses were practicing social distance guidelines, at the time of the party.

Samaniego said his son was confused over the recent social distancing order, believing that gatherings under ten were allowed – although the order actually said no social gatherings were permitted with people from outside your home.

The judge said his daughter took control of the situation before any law enforcement agency visited his home.

"So as soon as my daughter came in, she dispersed everyone and everybody left immediately. And they didn't want to tell me because they thought, they took care of the situation. It's been addressed and dad doesn't need any more noise in this busy world," he said.

The judge said he sees the incident as a teaching moment to let other parents know what to do when a family member believes they are following guidelines, when they actually are not.