Woodburn Independent Online

Former Chamber employee arrested on rape charges

Victor Garza, who served as the Chamber's office manager, was detained in Texas on several sex crime charges

• By: Rachel Cavanaugh  
• Published: 7/20/2010 4:06:33 PM
• Last Updated: 7/22/2010 9:35:16 AM

Photo By: Photo courtesy Hubbard Police DepartmentVictor Garza

EDINBURG, Texas — A former employee of the Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce has been accused of rape and is facing extradition in Texas after fleeing a grand jury.
 
According to police, Victor Garza, 34, is in a Hidalgo County jail after being arrested in Edinburg, Texas on two counts each of rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and penetration with a foreign object.
 
The alleged victim, who came to police in June, was a Hubbard resident who was “known to him” and “not a stranger,” according to Hubbard Police Sgt. William Gill.
 
Gill said Garza had fled the state in anticipation of a grand jury indictment, which came down July 8. The next day, Hubbard police served a search warrant at his Maple Street apartment, which was vacant. There, they uncovered evidence that led them to southern Texas.
 
Garza had served about seven years in an Oregon correctional facility for attempted murder in a 1996 gang-related drive-by shooting. He’d reportedly told officers, “I’m not going back to prison.”
 
“When people make statements like that, (it) concerns us that they may be capable of violence when they have contact with officers,” said Gill.
 
Knowing that, Gill sent out a warning bulletin to Texas authorities. On July 17, Edinburg police made the arrest, along with U.S. marshals.
 
Garza has two daughters in Hubbard and worked as office manager for  the Woodburn Chamber until getting laid off last August.
 
“It’s just very sad all around,” said Don Judson, executive director of the chamber. “I mean, that’s all I can say. It’s very sad for everybody involved … if the charges are true — for whoever was abused, and for Victor.”
 
Judson said chamber officials did not know about his criminal background when they hired him. They become aware of it during his employment but Judson said that wasn’t why he was laid off.
 
“We did become aware that he had a past … but you know, that was about the time that we knew we had to make some real serious financial changes so we never followed through on anything that came up,” he said.
 
The chamber now has an unrelated policy of making background checks on all employees.

  (log in to rate)

Related Articles