Sullivan City censures councilman after drug arrest

SULLIVAN CITY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Sullivan City Council censured City Councilman Ruben Villalon on Wednesday for allegedly selling cocaine and interfering with police investigations.

During a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the City Council voted 2-0 to censure Villalon.

Many people asked Sullivan City to kick Villalon off the City Council after his arrest, said City Attorney Frank Garza, but Villalon can’t actually be removed unless he’s convicted of a felony.

“The only tool that you have under state law is a censure — that’s available at your option — for causing the scandal. The embarrassment. And bringing the negative attention to the city,” Garza said.

Villalon’s conduct also violated the city charter, according to a three-page resolution approved by the City Council, and the code of ethics for elected officials.

“The City Council finds Mr. Villalon’s conduct was not only inappropriate, but reprehensible,” according to the resolution, “and such conduct warrants disciplinary action.”

Sullivan City punished Villalon by prohibiting him from representing the city at public events, requiring him to request special approval for travel expenses and banning him from city property, with exceptions for private business and City Council meetings.

“He cannot be, in my opinion, prohibited from attending City Council meetings in person,” Garza said.

Villalon didn’t attend the meeting, which took place at noon Wednesday.

“He wasn’t at the meeting because he just had open-heart surgery,” said attorney Rick Salinas of Mission, who added that Sullivan City was “castigating his behavior without knowing the full details of what happened.”

The investigation started in August 2024, when the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about people buying drugs at Ruben’s Tire Shop in Sullivan City.

Investigators sent an informant to Ruben’s Tire Shop in October 2024.

The informant handed $20 to Villalon, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case, and received two small bags of cocaine that weighed less than a gram.

Investigators sent the informant back to Ruben’s Tire Shop in November 2024 and January 2025. On both occasions, the informant purchased cocaine from employees.

The Sheriff’s Office raided Ruben’s Tire Shop and Villalon’s house in January 2025.

During a search, investigators discovered clear, plastic baggies that contained a “white powdery substance,” according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

The substance, which tested positive for cocaine, weighed about 5.65 grams.

A grand jury charged Villalon with engaging in organized criminal activity, a first-degree felony, and manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony.

Villalon pleaded not guilty and refused to resign from the City Council.

That wasn’t the only problem Sullivan City had with Villalon.

In January, when a police officer conducted a traffic stop, Villalon showed up and started yelling. The motorist filed a complaint.

Sullivan City determined Villalon’s actions were “unethical and uncalled for,” according to the resolution approved by the City Council, and created the impression that “officers are influenced by elected officials.”

Officers had another run-in with Villalon during September, when police conducted a welfare check on a child.

Villalon showed up and demanded to know whether the officer had a warrant.

“It was clear to the officer that Mr. Villalon was on the phone talking to a man located in the property that the officer was about to walk into,” according to the resolution approved by the City Council.

After meeting in executive session for more than an hour, the City Council voted 2-0 to censure Villalon.

City Councilman Rene “Cuate” Peña and City Councilman Nick Cerda supported the censure. Villalon and City Councilman Isaac Sulemana didn’t attend the meeting. Mayor Sylvia Castillo doesn’t vote unless she needs to break a tie.

Salinas, the attorney who represents Villalon, said it was unfair for the City Council to hold a special meeting while his client was in the hospital.

“I thought they would have waited,” Salinas said. “But they did it without him.”