EL PASO, TX – A U.S. Border Patrol agent is facing charges of kidnapping and sexual assault, after attacking a junior agent in the state of Arizona. His wife is the head Chief of El Paso Border Patrol.
Gus Zamora quietly retired from his job at the El Paso Border Patrol last July. This week, The New York Times brought some light into the real reasons of his depart.
When the incident took place, Zamora served as assistant chief at the Yuma sector of the Patrol. Meanwhile, his wife has just been promoted to Interim Chief in the El Paso region.
The 51-year-old former agent, alleged assault happened during a work trip from Yuma to Tucson. Zamora was traveling with two other coworkers.
In his version of the story, he had sexual relationships with the alleged victim, but they were mutually consensual. Zamora even indicated that it was the woman who initiated it.
His victim’s version of the events differs. She said that for her Zamora was like a mentor. Then, she proceeded to recall him getting her drunk with tequila. They had multiple rounds of shots. That was when he allegedly took her to his hotel room in Tucson and assaulted her.
In the wake of the serious allegations, Zamora decided to retire. He still received full benefits. His lawyer, Brad Roach, also made a public comment to the New York Times to let them know that Zamora is looking forward to proving his innocence when he gets his day in court.
Meanwhile, Gloria Chavez, Zamora’s wife declared to have a deep sense of “betrayal”. But she also went on to express the support she had received after the news broke. “…I have received an incredible amount of positive feedback from female and male agents alike who have voiced their support for me and understanding that I am the victim of infidelity,” she said.
This case will bring a lot of attention to the ongoing issues with sexual misconduct allegations regarding the agency’s employees. These seem to be high in volume and frequent. The Department of Homeland Security released a report stating that just between 2010 and 1027 more than 1,200 sexual abuse accusations were made. All of them involving agents.
For his part, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection only released a short statement expressing how the agency “holds its employees accountable and expects the entire workforce to adhere to the agency’s standards of conduct.”
The case is currently in pre-trial and hearings are being held in Tucson.
