Gilbert Sanchez Ordered To Take Psych Exam By Judge

District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez had to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to check if he’s capable of standing trial in the public corruption case on May 3.

Sanchez is charged with taking a bribe to steer a contract during the bidding process. He, and co-defendant Luther Jones have both pleaded non-guilty. Sanchez is accused of accepting $750 and a trip to Las Vegas from Jones.

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According to a federal indictment, in exchange for the trip, Sanchez would steer a lucrative county contract to favor a company tied to Jones. Luther Jones is a former State Representative and El Paso County Judge.

Sanchez said that because of his health conditions, which include a serious heart condition and lupus, he and his attorney are concerned he’ll have a heart attack before or during the trial. “For me to be sitting there, in front of the jury and just suffer from a heart attack because of the stress, the strain of everything that’s going on”, he explained.

He said that the upcoming election, this criminal case, two civil suits filed against him from former employees, and the handling of his office under financial strains from the county are contributing stressors in his life and to his physical ailments.

“We’re going through the problems with the county, to the point that we’re looking to cut people, they cut my salary”, he said.

Sanchez has also voluntarily taken on extra furlough days to help ease the county’s more than $10 million budget shortfall.

He said all of these matters have not affected his duties as District Clerk, and that he only needs more time to prepare for the trial.

“We all go through stress in our lives, but this is one of those times where everything has happened at one time… My doctor just wants time to put me on something where I go back to some sense of a normal life”, Sanchez said.

When asked, he said he hasn’t taken any time off in two years and gets an average of two hours of sleep every night. “I even wake up when I’m on Ambien”, he said.

According to court records, the psychiatric exam, which Sanchez took on March 25, was to determine three things:

1. “whether or not Gilbert Sanchez is presently suffering from a psychosis or mental disease or defect”

2. “whether or not Gilbert Sanchez presently has a rational, as well as factual, understanding of the proceedings against him”

3. “whether or not Gilbert Sanchez presently has sufficient ability to consult with his attorney and to assist in his own defense with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.”

The court order also indicates that after the exam is finished, the Court Clerk will make the necessary docket entries and deliver the results to the U.S. Attorneys, defense counsel and the U.S. Probation Office. Also, the document states that upon the receipt of the report of the exam, and within three business days, a hearing on this matter will be held to resolve whether Sanchez is currently able to assist in the preparation of his own defense.

However, those results will be sealed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas paid for the examination.

Sanchez is in a runoff against Chief Deputy Tax Assessor Collector, Norma Favela in the April 13th runoff.

In the primaries, Sanchez received 28 percent of the vote and Favela received 25 percent.