El Paso Sheriff’s Office arrest County employee for allegedly forging Ascarate Park fee documents

Jan. 9, 2015 Update: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a County employee accused of stealing money from the County.

Deputies arrested and charged 32-year-old Mayra Navarrete with 24 counts of forgery.

Navarrete was taken into custody Thursday night.

During a news conference Friday morning, Commissioner Carlos Leon said they were alerted to the suspected forgery by a whistleblower.

Leon also said Navarrete, who worked with the County for seven years, has been terminated.

County officials say Navarrete is suspected of stealing from the parking fees paid by those attending events at Ascarate Park.

Authorities say Navarrete was an account clerk in charge of cash count documents.

According to the arrest affidavit, Navarrete admitted to altering the sheets and forging the names on the sheets so it looked like someone else prepared those documents.

Sheriff Richard Wiles said they’re investigating whether to add theft charges against Navarrete.

Two other county employees have been placed on administrative leave in connection to the case but Wiles and Leon did not specify their specific connection to the case.

The two employees are County Parks Manager Rey Chavez and Special Events Coordinator Steve Lazarin.

Leon said he did not know if Chavez and Lazarin were on paid or unpaid leave.

Jan. 8, 2015 Story: Officials with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office say there has been alleged theft by an employee at Ascarate Park and information about possible gambling activity within El Paso County facilities.

County Commissioner Carlos Leon and the sheriff’s office say a County employee is suspected of stealing money generated by parking fees paid by people attending events at Ascarate Park.

The employee is an account clerk.

Ticket booth employees collect the fees and the amount collected would be entered on a departmental form.

The money and the form would then be taken to a safe in an office inside the Ascarate Park golf course clubhouse.

The employee suspected of theft allegedly altered the sheets, sheriff’s investigators said.

Leon organized three meetings with County staff from the public works department, information technology and auditors department. Leon made several suggestions for improving operations for large events held at the park.

Suggestions included: Requiring an armed deputy to escort employees transporting cash for deposit, making all lanes available as entrance lanes at the beginning of events, and accepting credit and debit cards as additional methods of payment and issuing a printed receipt for every fee paid.

Suspecting misconduct among some of the Ascarate Park collections staff, Leon took his concerns to the sheriff’s office.

Undercover sheriff’s deputies then observed and counted vehicles as they entered Ascarate Park for a recent event. Investigators suspected criminal activity after the number of vehicles they counted entering the park did not match the number reported by the park’s ticket booth.

“As a former law enforcement official, I immediately recognized the risk collecting cash without a record of payment. This creates an opportunity for theft,” Leon said. “I also had a problem with employees transporting cash without the protection of an armed officer,” he added.

“By making these simple changes, we could have easily protected our employees and prevented these opportunities for criminal activity, but administrators with the public works department refused to act and that inaction is what increased my suspicions of illegal activity,” Leon said.

Recently, a whistleblower came to Leon with information about possible gambling activity within El Paso County facilities. The information has been turned over to the sheriff’s office, who has conducted an investigation.