No Country For Free Speech: South Texas Sheriff Santiago Barrera, Jr. Will Jail You For Reporting His Business
Ah, South Texas. The stuff of east coast, liberal, Jewish filmmakers’ snuff fantasies. A place where guys like Sheriff Santiago Barrera Jr. of Duval County still roam free making the nationally syndcated news by threatening reporters with incarceration for, you know, reporting. Especially for reporting that the sheriff’s 42 year-old son, Miguel Barrera, was detained for public intoxication last January while out “allegedly” drunk riding with his buddies in their pick up truck in the small town of San Diego, Texas. Just some good old boys never meaning no harm, we’re sure.
According to the [Alice Echo-News Journal], when [reporter Christopher] Maher interviewed the sheriff at the jail about another story, Barrera said, “If you guys keep interfering with my business, I’m going to have you arrested.”
Nicole Perez, managing editor of the Echo-News Journal and The Freer Press alerted the county attorney.
“I am bringing these remarks to your attention in the hope that they will remain as such, just remarks,” Perez wrote to Duval County Attorney Ricardo Carrillo. “However, considering the volatile political atmosphere in Duval County I have no doubt that Sheriff Barrera would carry out such a threat.”
Maher’s original story also mentions that one of Miguel Barrera’s companions was arrested that night for possession of a controlled substance when a small package of white, powdery substance was found on his person, and that the younger (but not actually young) Barrera was seen swallowing something unidentified during the arrest.
None of this pleased the big, bad sheriff, who despite having served for twenty years has virtually no photographic history online. Perhaps they don’t have the internet in Duval County? We think that’s him in the photo above. We got it here, though we could have drawn him from South Texas experience. But Alice Echo-News Journal managing editor Nicole Perez says she believes the threats were in response to the paper’s coverage of the Duval County Sheriff’s race which, after twenty years, Barrera lost to a man the paper discovered was demoted by Barrera in December from commander of a tri-county drug task force to patrol officer after said man, Romeo Ramirez, announced he was going to run against Barrera. You really can’t make up the shit that goes on in South Texas because it would never be as good as the real thing.
Sheriff Threatens Reporters With Jail [AP]
Duval Sheriff’s son arrested for public intoxication charge [Alice Echo-News]
Alice newspaper complains of threat [Corpus Christi Caller-Times]
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- Managing Editor
Daniel Mauser
- Editor
Cindy Casares
- Associate Editor
Alex Alvarez
- Contributing Editors
Gabriel Caro - Camilla Rowan
- Video Editor
Marcelo Cunning
South Texas? Nope. It’s mostly West Texas and the border cities of Del Rio and Eagle Pass. Aren’t you from the RGV? Can’t you tell the difference between West and South Texas? There are clear cultural differences between the two regions. Some scenes from No Country were actually filmed in areas north of San Antonio. And north of San Antonio is NOT South Texas.
Posted by Guana Bust A Nut | March 14, 2008
Obviously, I’m talking about your comment re: No Country being set in South Texas.
Posted by Guana Bust A Nut | March 14, 2008
People from the valley will always be from the valley no matter where they move to. Sucks, but it’s true. Super bad aaaaaass! It’s all good though. Any place where you can still find Dairy Queens on every corner is A-OK with me ;)
Posted by jrod | March 14, 2008
Is it normal for Dairy Queens not to have chocolate ice cream? I went to one in Texas and they acted like chocolate ice cream was the strangest request on earth.
Posted by MMC | March 14, 2008
@ Jrod. Ever go to the Dairy Burger in Alice? I’m just saying that the times we were feeling peckish south of the DQ in George West, we’d stop at the Dairy Burger in Alice, just to change things up a bit.
@ Guana- It doesn’t matter where you go or where you are from, there are always going to be people who think they are above the law. However, special distinction should go to the fine people of Alice for this instance and for the instance of the mayor “kidnapping” her neighbors dog. I mean, c’mon!
Posted by Janie A Go-Go | March 14, 2008
@Janie
Not sure. We used to drive from Dallas to McAllen alot when I was a kid and pretty much have eaten at virtually every single DQ and Whataburger along the way. I know a guy that got gay bashed at a DQ in Refugio though. hee hee. Do they still have those wannabe Sonics they used to have in the Valley (forgot the name. anyone know?)?
@MMC…I don’t know where you’re from but I went to a DQ in Colorado once and was floored when I found out that they only serve ice cream in a lot of DQs outside of Texas. Talk about devastating :)
Posted by jrod | March 14, 2008
For the record, I never said “No Country For Old Men” is set in South Texas. I simply implied that the Cohen brothers (and a lot of East Coasters) are obsessed with the rough Texas border culture which is played out in this story. So who’s so smart now, Mr. Nut?
Posted by La Cindy | March 14, 2008
For the record, San Diego is not in the Valley nor is it part of West Texas. It’s part of coastal Texas - the Coastal Bend, even though it’s 50+ miles inland.
Posted by SD_grad | April 02, 2008
What do you mean “People from the valley will always be from the valley no matter where they move to”? Your crushin my soul son!
Posted by wes-loco | April 09, 2008