Former Willacy County District Attorney Gustavo "Gus" Garza was a special prosecutor in March, 2007 appointed to his job by State District Judge Migdalia Lopez to look into complaints about the incumbent district attorney for the county, Juan Guerra. The two men were political enemies and each had won an election over the other to the county's top legal job.

The Willacy County Grand Jury asked Judge Lopez to have the district attorney (Guerra) investigated because they didn't believe some of the instructions he was giving them were legal.

Helping Garza to investigate Guerra were Chief Deputy David Martinez of the Willacy County Sheriff's Dept. and Raymondville Police Chief Uvaldo "Valdo" Zamora.

Garza's investigation resulted in charges of theft attempted theft and tampering with government records against him and Guerra was arrested at his office in March 2007 as he was conducting a meeting of the grand jury. All charges against Guerra were dismissed in Oct. 2008 after a second prosecutor, looked into the matter.

Guerra who was still district attorney, had Deputy Martinez, Chief Zamora and special prosecutor Garza arrested in April, 2007 and charged with obstruction of a grand jury after he (Graza) dismised them on the day Guerra was arrested.

Those charges were also thrown out by the court.

Today, Garza is a justice of the peace in Los Fresnos, Martinez was fired by Sheriff Larry Spence after running against him in an election and Zamora is still police chief.

All three men believe they were arrested in retaliation for Guerra's arrest a month earlier. By arresting them when they acted in their official capacity as authorized by the grand jury and a district judge, Garza, Martinez and Zamora believe that their civil rights have been violated.

They are suing Juan Guerra, who lost his job in the Willacy County Democratic Primary last year. Garza will be represented attorney Horacio L. Barrera of Brownsville.