Two El Pasos

It was reported today that former El Paso, Texas Mayor, Joe Wardy, was detained at the El Paso International airport for having a handgun in a bag while attempting to go through airport security. According to reports, Mr. Wardy was detained by the El Paso Police Department and then later questioned by the FBI with the implication being that he missed his flight. He was detained and not arrested. My question is, why was Mr. Wardy not arrested?

If carrying a handgun, even with a license, through airport security is NOT against the law then why was Mr. Wardy detained and questioned? Why didn't they just wave him on through? Why the investigation and the questioning and the news stories? If such conduct IS against the law then why was Mr. Wardy released without being arrested?

I have represented an individual who had a knife in his backpack when going through airport security, a souvenir he purchased in Spain, after coming back from Iraq. He went through security at the very same El Paso airport on his way home to Illinois. TSA discovered it. My client explained that he had forgotten the knife was there. The El Paso Police told him to tell it to the judge. He was arrested and put in jail just days before Christmas. The El Paso Police hauled him out of the airport in handcuffs and Jaime Esparza, my opponent, accepted the case for felony prosecution. My client's friends in Illinois had to hire me and Judge Carter, the Jail Magistrate, was good enough to give me an expedited bond hearing so my client wouldn't have to stay in jail over the holidays. My client had to fly back to El Paso for his arraignment and later hearings. I explained and explained to the authorities that he was not a terrorist. In fact they could see for themselves that he was a law abiding US citizen who had been doing contract work for the US Army in Iraq. They also accepted that it was a mistake. They would give him a break and he could plead to a misdemenaor but they would not drop the charges. They told me that the law is the law.

We read that El Paso Police spokesman Chris Mears said of Mr. Wardy's mishap with the gun, not a knife, "At this point it appears it (the gun) may have been left in the bag inadvertently." How nice of the police to excuse this as a mistake when for every other Joe it's a crime. Why didn't Mr. Mears make the same statement for my client? --Oh yes, and the US Attorney's Office has said that they need to continue the investigation. What more is there to investigate? Mr. Wardy either had the gun or he didn't. It's either against the rules or it isn't. They sure didn't need to investigate my client's case further. It is obvious we have two El Pasos and two legal systems. One for the important and one for the rest of us.


If my opponent were really tough on crime, he'd offer to take over the prosecution, as he does in most of these cases, and he would apply the same rules to Mr. Wardy that he so happily does to people who aren't former Mayors and current CEOs of big companies. Where are you Mr. Esparza? Do you play golf with Mr. Wardy, too?

When I begin my series on my opponent's DIMS system you will see that as a matter of his official office policy, Esparza himself set up one legal system for his staff and public officials and one legal system for the rest of us.

When elected, I am doing away with preferential treatment and all citizens will be treated equally and fairly. Mistakes will be handled as mistakes and crimes will be handled as crimes based on the facts and not on the individual's status.