Charges dropped against former Rep. Joe Molinar for hitting parked car

Update (12:14 PM): El Paso District Attorney James Montoya released a statement addressing the dismissal of the charge against former Rep. Joe Molinar. The statement was released in response to ABC-7 questions about whether Molinar's status as a former city representative factored into the dismissal of his charge. Read the statement in full below:

“As the DA’s Office continues to work through the tremendous number of cases that accumulated prior to 2025, our Office has prioritized the prosecution of crimes that directly impact the safety of the community, such as crimes of violence, crimes against children, and DWIs. As part of that same approach, in an effort to resolve minor property crimes as quickly as possible, our Office prioritizes restitution to victims to ensure they are made whole. Mr. Molinar’s case was handled consistently with other first-time offenders accused of a non-violent misdemeanor offense. His former status or occupation played no role in the outcome of the case.”

DA James Montoya

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Former El Paso City Representative Joe Molinar, who was charged with hitting an unattended vehicle with his car, has had that charge dismissed.

Molinar, who formerly represented District 4, which covers Northeast El Paso, was charged with Duty on Striking an Unattended Vehicle after an incident in the Quik Wok parking lot.

According to the Motion to Dismissed, which was signed by a judge and filed on October 20, 2025, the charge was dropped due to insurance restitution, meaning that Molinar's insurance paid the other party for the damage done to their car.

Molinar's attorney Brian Kennedy confirmed the dismissal order, and told ABC-7 he has no comment on the matter.

Look at the Motion to Dismiss below.