Marijuana found at mayor’s house in Sullivan City

SULLIVAN CITY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Sullivan City Mayor Alma Salinas called the police in November after finding a small bag of marijuana in her guest bedroom.

Salinas discovered a small bag of marijuana — about 1/8th of an ounce — on Nov. 22, according to a police report Sullivan City released on Thursday. The marijuana had been wrapped in a piece of paper from the city’s planning department and placed in a plastic bag.

“I hate to say it,” Alma Salinas said. “But it feels like we were being framed.”

Officers seized the marijuana, but they never determined who owned the drugs.

In mid-December, nearly a month after the incident, a police investigator cited Alma Salinas and her husband for possession of drug paraphernalia. A municipal judge dismissed the charges.

“I feel I did the right thing,” Alma Salinas said. “And we’ll just let it go, I guess.”

News about the incident shocked City Councilman Rene “Cuate” Peña.

“She should know where it came from,” Peña said. “Because who else lives there? It’s either her or her husband.”

Someone is lying about what happened, Peña said, adding that her story didn’t make sense.

THE FIGHT

At 10:40 p.m. on Nov. 22, the Sullivan City Police Department received a call about a domestic disturbance at the mayor’s house.

Her husband, former La Joya school board President Oscar “Coach” Salinas, had been drinking.

“While speaking with Oscar, I smelled a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his person,” according to a report filed by a police officer, which Sullivan City released under the Texas Public Information Act. “Oscar spoke with slurred speech and appeared to be intoxicated.”

Oscar Salinas resigned from the school board in 2022, when he pleaded guilty to a federal extortion charge.

The case involved a series of text messages he sent to a local engineer.

Oscar Salinas told a judge he sent the messages while “under the influence.” He was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

In November, when he started drinking and texting, Alma Salinas asked him to stop.

“I told him, I said: ‘How do you think I feel that you were in trouble — you went to jail for a whole year for texting, Oscar. I’m scared that you’re going to make the same mistake again. You need to understand that,’” Alma Salinas said, recalling the conversation.

When he wouldn’t listen, Alma Salinas reached for the phone.

“I grabbed the phone,” Alma Salinas said. “And I broke it.”

Oscar Salinas didn’t want to press charges, according to the police report. Neither did Alma Salinas.

When the police left, Alma Salinas started looking for the keys to her truck, which apparently went missing during the argument.

THE MARIJUANA

While looking for her keys, Alma Salinas said she found a small bag of marijuana in her son’s old bedroom.

The marijuana had been placed in a plastic bag along with a blank permit application from the Sullivan City Planning Department.

“A lot of people go in there. Because that’s like our spare room,” Alma Salinas said. “If we have people come stay with us, they stay in that room.”

The marijuana didn’t belong to her or her husband, Alma Salinas said. Instead of simply throwing it away, she decided to call the police.

“Why would I hide it? Why would I throw it away? That’s not the right thing to do,” Alma Salinas said. “You know what I mean? I’m just going to turn it in.”

Officers questioned them about the marijuana.

“Both Alma and Oscar denied ownership of the green leafy substance, and denied knowing who it belonged to,” according to the police report.

On Dec. 19, nearly a month after the incident, a police investigator contacted them about the marijuana.

Oscar Salinas declined to answer the investigator’s questions. Alma Salinas said the marijuana didn’t belong to her.

“The irony is that, like I said, it could have been anybody,” Alma Salinas said. “It could have been even the police officers that dropped it here.”

Oscar Salinas didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by a maximum of 180 days in jail.

The investigator, however, decided to charge Alma Salinas and Oscar Salinas with possession of drug paraphernalia. That charge, a Class C misdemeanor, is punishable by a maximum fine of $500.

Police Chief Reynaldo Cortes described the decision as “the discretion of the investigator.”

Municipal Judge Joel Garcia dismissed both charges.

“He literally says: They shouldn’t have given you this,” Alma Salinas said.

Garcia confirmed that he dismissed the charges but said he couldn’t discuss his decision.

“I did the right thing. In my heart, that’s who I am,” Alma Salinas said. “And if I got a citation, I said: I’ll go to the judge and I'll make sure that I explain. And that’s why it was cleared — for both of us.”