JURORS FIND FORMER NARCOTICS AGENT GUILTY ON FIVE COUNTS

FLORESVILLE -- A Wilson County jury on Tuesday found a former narcotics
agent guilty of charges that he tampered with records, fabricated evidence
and abused his position as a member of the 81st Judicial District Narcotics
Task Force.

Albert J. Villarreal, 33, faces up to 10 years in prison.

The jury acquitted the Poteet man of 19 other charges, including one charge
of witness tampering.

Villarreal was found guilty on two charges of tampering with a governmental
record, and one charge each of fabricating physical evidence, abuse of
official capacity and official oppression.

His attorney, John Longoria of San Antonio, said he will appeal.

Prosecutor Carrie Moy praised the jury for finding Villarreal guilty on the
charges backed up by the most evidence, including phone records and
audiotapes.

Four of the guilty verdicts dealt with the arrest of Leonard Gonzales, who
Villarreal claimed sold him an ounce of cocaine that he in fact obtained
from a cousin, Moy said.

The fifth guilty verdict was for fabricating evidence against another man,
Moy said.

"I think it was an excellent decision," she said of the verdict.

Moy told jurors in her closing arguments that Villarreal, 33, broke the laws
he had sworn to uphold.

"He fell so far off the line that he became what he was put in this county
to get rid of," said Moy, who recalled witness testimony that Villarreal
used and bought drugs.

She said conversations with Villarreal taped by his confidential informant,
who became the prosecution's chief witness, were more believable than the
ex-cop's courtroom denials.

A Wilson County grand jury indicted Villarreal in September 2001 on more
than two dozen charges alleging tampering with a governmental record,
fabricating physical evidence, tampering with a witness, official oppression
and abuse of official capacity.

During the two-week trial, District Judge Fred Shannon threw out three
charges of fabricating evidence because of problems in the wording of the
indictments, Moy said.

In his closing arguments, defense attorney Longoria pitted the credibility
of his client against state's witnesses, some of whom admitted drug use.

Longoria described his client as "the man who comes out with the truck to
clean up the cesspool," an honorable man set up by the people in the drug
community.

"It is an outrage. Had this man done something wrong, he had a chance to go
home," said Longoria, referring to a plea bargain offered by the district
attorney's office.

The punishment phase of the trial begins this morning.

Villarreal was fired shortly after he was indicted. He already has served
more than a year in jail while awaiting trial.