Cop Watch: Police Chief Charged With Public Lewdness – Allegations Involve Mistress, Parked Police Cars, and Hanky Panky

It’s probably safe to assume that Baldemar Flores will be reevaluating his plan to run for Mayor of Mission, Texas, next year ….

That’s because Mr. Flores is facing a misdemeanor charge of public lewdness, which carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4000 fine.   Not a good thing for anyone’s reputation, but especially not for Flores, since he’s been the Chief of Police for Alton, Texas for about a year and half — and since he’s already announced his intention to run for Mayor. 

Police Chief Allegedly Meeting Mistress for Over a Year

Chief Flores was arrested (he’s now out on personal recognizance after posting $5000 bond) after Mission police learned of a couple regularly meeting for sex behind a local auto parts store. 

According to the AutoZone manager, for over a year there had been a black BMW and a series of Alton police vehicles meeting up behind the store regularly in the afternoons, between noon and three.   A woman had been seen leaving the BMW and getting into the police cars.  

The manager personally saw on one occasion, according to the Complaint, the woman completely nude in an unmarked police car, having sex with a man in the front seat.   The BMW was parked nearby.    The manager said he recognized the man as Alton Chief Flores, having seen him recently on the news.  (An AutoZone employee confirmed the manager’s eyewitness accounts.  And you know this means the manager saw the two doing the Horizontal Mambo and called his employee to come out back and see this ….)

The AutoZone manager called Mission police and reported what he had seen.  He was asked by Mission police to call them the next time that he saw the BMW and any other suspicious cars or activity behind his store.  And the manager did.  Last Friday.

Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria Catches Alton Police Chief Baldemar Flores

 Last Friday, Mission Assistant Police Chief Martin Garza and Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria responded to the call from AutoZone, and saw things for themselves.  Ahem. 

The two officers then saw Chief Flores leave the AutoZone lot in a black Expedition, with the BMW following.  Mission Chief Longoria pulled over the BMW, and driver Cynthia Garcia told police that she had been in “an intimate relationship” with Police Chief Flores for three years (since 2006), and that they routinely met in cars behind the AutoZone and in other places “for intimacy.”

What is Public Lewdness?

Public lewdness is a crime in Texas.  It involves having sex with another person (or animal or fowl) in a public place, or anywhere that is a reckless choice because of the likelihood that another person may be present who will be offended or alarmed.   Guess the parking lot of the AutoZone counts….

What’s Happening in Mission Now ….

Police Chief Flores is facing criminal charges.  The Alton City Manager has announced that the City of Alton will conduct its own investigation.  Flores is on leave without pay from his police job.  His wife (yes, he’s married) should still be getting a salary from her job at Rapid Security, Inc., a company that she and her husband founded — and Flores has told the media that he’ll be working there, too. 

Just an FYI … Flores replaced Jose Luis Vela as Alton Chief of Police after Vela was accused of sexually abusing male officers during drinking parties at his home — later, he was found not guilty of the charges.  Wow.