Juvenile Board fails to take action on Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015

The Juvenile Board of Maverick, Dimmit, and Zavala Counties held a meeting on Monday, December 7, 2015 at the Dimmit County District Courthouse in Carrizo Springs, Texas, failing to reach any majority action on the fate of suspended with pay Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou after several attempts to reschedule the meeting.

Ballou and his top Deputy Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Orvando Freeman and Juvenile Probation Officer Jose Perez were suspended in July 2015 until an investigation was completed regarding the alleged exploitation of juvenile probationers from Maverick County, Texas. The Juvenile Board appointed Dimmit County Deputy Sheriff and Constable Ruth Ceniceros to conduct an investigation regarding alleged exploitation of juvenile probationers. The alleged investigation is believed to have been completed by Ceniceros.

At the December 7,2015 meeting, the Juvenile Board moved into closed session to discuss under executive session authorized by Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Section 551.074 to hear complaints or charges against the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Dimmit, Maverick and Zavala Counties and Juvenile Probation Departments and to deliberate the appointment , employment , evaluation re-assignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Dimmit, Maverick and Zavala Counties Juvenile Probation Department.

After the closed session, the Juvenile Board returned into open session. Dimmit County Judge Frank Ponce made a motion to suspend Ballou without pay, but his motion died for lack of a second from the Board.

365th District Judge Amado J. Abascal, Jr., Chairman of the Juvenile Board, stepped down as Chair of the meeting and made a motion to terminate Ballou, but his motion also died for lack of a second from the Board.

Neither Ponce nor Abascal’s motions were discussed because the Board failed to second their motions. The stalemate among Juvenile Board members causes Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou to remain suspended with pay until further action by the Board.

The Dimmit, Maverick, and Zavala Counties Juvenile Probation Department remains under the leadership of Interim Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Juan Carlos Segura.

The Juvenile Board is composed of 293rd Judicial District Judge Cynthia Muniz, 365th Judicial District Judge Amado J. Abascal, III, Dimmit County Judge Franck Ponce, Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo, and Zavala County Judge Joe Luna.

The lack to take any majority action clearly indicates there is a stalemate and lack of a consensus among the Juvenile Board members concerning the evaluation and fate of Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou.   Dimmit, Maverick, and Zavala Counties’ taxpayers are having to pay and carry the salaries of both Ballou and Interim Chief Segura.

Although the results of the investigation conducted by Ceniceros are not publicly known, the allegations are very serious as it involves the exploitation of juvenile probationers from Maverick County.

Unless the Juvenile Board decides any time soon the fate of suspended with pay Chief Probation Juvenile Officer Ballou, the State of Texas may have to step in and resolve the matter due to the lack of a consensus among the five judges’ Juvenile Board members.

Ballou was appointed Chief Juvenile Probation Officer on April 1, 2011.