Doesn't sound or look good.
Ken Rodriguez: Plot could be thickening on top cop's woes
Ken RodriguezSan Antonio Express-News
It was a minor detail in a long-ago Internal Affairs probe of a rising star at SAPD.
A prostitute said the owner of Castillo's Ice House arranged for her to have sex with Rudy Gonzales in 2000.
The bar owner's name: David Martinez Jr., known to friends as "Marty."
A prostitute said the owner of Castillo's Ice House arranged for her to have sex with Rudy Gonzales in 2000.
The bar owner's name: David Martinez Jr., known to friends as "Marty."
Marty would remain a forgotten figure in the review until authorities charged him last month with conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Days after Marty's arrest, Police Chief Bill McManus placed Assistant Chief Gonzales on paid administrative leave — without explanation.
No one has connected Gonzales to drugs. But the feds are scrutinizing his relationship with Martinez — a man they say has been involved in trafficking cocaine for 15 years.
Sources familiar with a statement Gonzales gave to Internal Affairs seven years ago say he recalled meeting the prostitute at a Christmas party in 2000: "She was at the party with a friend. The friend's name was Marty."
Sources familiar with a statement Gonzales gave to Internal Affairs seven years ago say he recalled meeting the prostitute at a Christmas party in 2000: "She was at the party with a friend. The friend's name was Marty."
The sources say the prostitute linked Gonzales to Marty more than once.
They say she told of accompanying them on a hunting trip with three other men, providing sex to Gonzales and receiving payment from "Marty."
The Internal Affairs review ended when the prostitute declined to take a lie detector test.
But the chief reopened the investigation after a witness emerged claiming officers impeded the internal review of Gonzales with lies. The witness, sources say, corroborated the prostitutes' account of her relationship with Gonzales.
But the chief reopened the investigation after a witness emerged claiming officers impeded the internal review of Gonzales with lies. The witness, sources say, corroborated the prostitutes' account of her relationship with Gonzales.
In his statement to Internal Affairs, sources say, Gonzales acknowledged a sexual relationship with the woman he met at the Christmas party. But he denied knowing she worked as a prostitute.
In a sworn statement to police, sources say, the woman said Gonzales "knew I was a prostitute. The whole reason I was there was to have sex and get paid for it. We did not watch TV or go out. We just had sex."
The prostitute gave the same account in a series of interviews with the Express-News in 2006.
The woman also expressed fear. She said she declined to take a lie detector test with Internal Affairs after receiving repeated calls from police officers.
The woman also expressed fear. She said she declined to take a lie detector test with Internal Affairs after receiving repeated calls from police officers.
The prostitute also told the Express-News that Martinez had called her after Gonzales was promoted to assistant chief, and warned her not to discuss their relationship. She said she feared him and Gonzales.
David "Marty" Martinez Jr. declined to comment for an Express-News report in October 2006.
On the day three reporters and I had a scheduled meeting with Gonzales, the woman told the Express-News she'd received a call from Martinez. The prostitute then changed part of her story to a reporter, saying she and Gonzales had sex, but he never paid for it.
On the day three reporters and I had a scheduled meeting with Gonzales, the woman told the Express-News she'd received a call from Martinez. The prostitute then changed part of her story to a reporter, saying she and Gonzales had sex, but he never paid for it.
Gonzales also changed his mind that day. He refused to meet with me and my colleagues.
One source says Gonzales is trying to distance himself from Martinez. I could not reach either for comment. But a lawyer for Martinez told the Express-News this on Friday: Federal prosecutors seem more interested in his clients' relationship with Gonzales than the drug conspiracy charge.
That says a lot.
On March 27, Chief McManus hailed the indictments of 10 men in a drug bust that yielded $1 million worth of cocaine.
Authorities identified one of those charged as David Valdez. The next day, officers arrested an alleged partner of Valdez — David "Marty" Martinez Jr.
Police called the operation one of the largest cocaine trafficking rings in city history.
Big news indeed — but it could get bigger. A top cop is under review for relationships with a prostitute and a suspected drug dealer.
