2nd Judge Backs Out Of Flores Finance Case

EL PASO, TX. – ABC-7 learns another judge hasremoved herself fromCounty Commissioner Betti Flores finance report case. Commissioner flores tells ABC-7 she’s confused about what’s going on with her case. It now appears headed for another delay as the trial shifts to district court.

Ms. Flores is accused of failing to report more than $12,000worth of campaign contributions in 2003. Ms. Flores admits 18 checks were left off her finance report but she calls it and oversight and says she didn’t know about the mistake when it was being made.

Commissioner Flores feels the chain of events in this case are a bit extreme for violations that are the legal equivalent to a traffic ticket.The course this case has taken resembles a tennis match.

FirstJudge Sam Paxson assigned a Special Prosecutor to the case. After that, it went to a Grand Jury that returned 18 indictments. Next, the case was sent to Justice of the Peace Lupe Aponte, who promptly recused herself because she and Ms. Flores are friends.

The case then landed in Justice of the Peace Fred Chavez’s office. After a couple of weeks without a trial date set, Judge Chavez has handed it off as well. Judge Paxson says because Ms. Flores is an elected official, the case needed to be heard in District Court.

Judge Paxson tells ABC-7 thatwithin a few days, the case will be assigned to a District Court. In response to Ms. Flores frustration, the District Attorney’s Spokeswoman Renee Railey says the case is going through a normal legal process.

Ms. Railey also tells ABC-7 that she had no comment to any of the allegations that this is some type of “witch hunt” against Ms. Flores