Starr County Sheriff Reymundo Guerra appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge in McAllen on Tuesday and was ordered temporarily detained pending a hearing Friday on the government's request that he be held without bond until trial, said Angela Dodge, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. It wasn't immediately clear if Guerra had an attorney. His chief deputy will run the department for now, said Starr County Judge Eloy Vera."It is very shocking and, of course, very disheartening when something like this happens," Vera said. "I was, I am of the opinion that sheriff Guerra is a very good sheriff." Few details about the allegations against Guerra have been released, but Vera said it is a blow to the reputation of a county trying to clean up its image. In 1998, Guerra's predecessor, Sheriff Eugenio "Gene" Falcon Jr., pleaded guilty to conspiracy after an informant posing as a bail bondsman paid Falcon $11,050 in bribes for inmate referrals.
