293rd Judicial District Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou resigns

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016

293rd Judicial District Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou tendered his letter of resignation to the Dimmit, Maverick, and Zavala Counties Juvenile Board on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at their Board meeting held at the Maverick County Courthouse in Eagle Pass, Texas.

The Juvenile Board was meeting to address in Executive Session and later in Open Session agenda items concerning the possible termination of Ballou as Chief Juvenile Probation Officer after an investigation of alleged exploitation of Maverick County Juvenile Probationers.

Ballou was suspended with pay on July 6, 2015 by the Juvenile Board pending the investigation of alleged exploitation of Maverick County Juvenile Probationers, together with two employees of the Juvenile Probation Department.

The Juvenile Board appointed Dimmit County Deputy Sheriff and Constable Ruth Ceniceros to investigate the allegations against Ballou and his employees at the July 6, 2015 Board meeting.  Ceniceros completed her investigation and submitted her investigation report to the Juvenile Board.

At the July 6, 2015 Juvenile Board, the tri-county Board appointed Maverick County Juvenile Probation Officer Juan Carlos Segura as Interim Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for the 293rd Judicial District pending the investigation of Ballou.

The Juvenile Board met multiple times the past four months to address Ballou’s employment status but failed to reach a majority decision, extending Ballou’s employment and pay at taxpayer’s expense.  The Juvenile Probation Department receives funding from both the State of Texas and the three counties.

Before the Juvenile Board was able to formally take action on his employment status at the January 13, 2016 meeting, Ballou chose to tender his resignation instead.  Ballou had been appointed 293rd Juvenile Chief Probation Officer by the Board on April 1, 2011.

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