Anthony, Texas, mayor accused of family violence, name-dropping police chief
The mayor of Anthony, Texas, is accused of threatening to call the small town's police chief during one of two domestic violence allegations in the past two years, a prosecutor said.
El Paso County sheriff's deputies arrested Mayor Benjamin C. Romero Jr. , 38, on Sunday afternoon on a continuing family violence charge after he was accused of assaulting a woman during an argument over who owned a shovel and a leaf rake, Assistant District Attorney Adam Chevrier said at a Tuesday teleconference bond hearing for Romero, who remains jailed.
"All of this sounds incredibly childish," Magistrate Judge Linda Estrada commented at the hearing.
The relationship between Romero and the woman was not specified at the hearing, but she also is the alleged victim in another family violence case against Romero in June 2021.
Romero is serving a two-year term as mayor ending next May in the town of 3,600 along the Texas-New Mexico state line. It was mentioned at the hearing that he has a GED, recently lost his job and was arrested on an aggravated assault with a weapon family violence case 10 years ago that was dismissed.
On Sunday afternoon, Romero was starting to take his property from the front yard of a home on Bariloche Drive when he grabbed a shovel and rake that allegedly didn't belong to him, Chevrier, the prosecutor, said at the hearing, citing the criminal complaint filed by the Sheriff's Office.
When the woman attempted to take the rake from Romero's hand, he allegedly pulled her by the hair, causing her pain, before she grabbed him by his hair. He then allegedly grabbed her by the legs, slamming her down on the ground, Chevrier said.
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Romero is accused of pinning the woman with his right forearm on her neck, although she reportedly told deputies she still could breathe. A 14-year-old boy unsuccessfully tried to pull Romero off the woman before Romero eventually released her and left, the prosecutor said.
The Sheriff's Office said that deputies were dispatched at about 3:10 p.m. Sunday on a call of a domestic assault that had just occurred. Deputies located and arrested Romero a little more than an hour later.
Mayor accused of name-dropping town police chief
The incident this Labor Day weekend was Romero's second domestic violence arrest in a little more than a year.
According to the prosecutor and jail records, he is accused of assaulting the same woman during an argument at home on June 21, 2021.
During the argument, Romero allegedly grabbed the woman's arms before she pushed his hands down and told him not to touch her. He then allegedly grabbed her by the neck and stood still for a time before releasing her, Chevrier said at the hearing.
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After the woman told Romero that he had five minutes to get his stuff and leave before she called police, he allegedly responded: "Go ahead. I contacted (Police) Chief (Carlos) Enriquez. Nothing will happen."
When the prosecutor recounted the allegation about mentioning the police chief, Romero shook his head "no," as if to say it wasn't true.
Chevrier accused Romero of using his position as mayor to try to intimidate the woman. It was unknown whether Romero actually called the police chief.
The prosecution claimed the woman then walked out of the home, followed by Romero, who allegedly pulled out a pocket knife and tried to slash one of her car's tires before she drove away and called police. Anthony police arrested him on a charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
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Magistrate judge Estrada noted that the complaint in the 2021 case does not say that the victim felt pain or had any visible injuries. The judge anticipated that charge could possibly be reduced to a misdemeanor in the future.
Romero is being held at the El Paso County Jail Downtown on a $2,000 bond on a warrant in the 2021 case and a $10,000 bond on the new assault charge, according to a jail log.
Estrada ordered that Romero have no contact with the woman and he is not allowed to be in possession of firearms and ammunition if he is released on bail.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Anthony, Texas, mayor arrested, accused of repeat domestic violence
