PATTON VILLAGE, Texas – A town's city services were shut down after its city offices and police station were raided.
Texas Rangers and Montgomery County sheriff's deputies seized documents and computers from Patton Village offices on Tuesday.
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The town's mayor, Pamela Munoz, has been accused of misspending the town's money.
Munoz is the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as mayor of Patton Village. She said she thinks the raid and accusations are a mix of racism and dirty politics.
"They swooped down on us and said, 'Stop doing what you're doing,'" Munoz said. "We were sitting in our office working. We didn't even know what was happening."
Munoz spoke out Wednesday to defend herself against accusations that she used taxpayer money for personal use.
"It's a headhunt," she said. "It's election time and they don't want me here."
"There is a reasonable and plausible explanation to everything," community activist Quanell X said. "This is happening, I believe, because it's a personal witch-hunt. I believe it's racist."
Court records obtained by KPRC Local 2 showed the district attorney's office is investigating accusations that Munoz spent $1,562.13 in taxpayer money to have three large Dumpsters delivered to her house and her grandmother's house while demolition work was being done. Court records show those Dumpsters were paid for with city checks and delivered to those homes.
An investigator snapped a picture of one of those Dumpsters at Munoz's house.
When specifically asked about the checks and the Dumpsters, Munoz declined to comment.
"That's something that she will answer later," Quanell X said.
Munoz questioned the timing of the investigation that was launched near the Nov. 8 mayoral election, and that the person who first brought the allegation to the district attorney is her opponent in that race, Leah Tarrant.
Tarrant said she was offended by allegations of racism. She said she does not think the district attorney's office would act on a whim.
"I've done nothing but good for this city," Munoz said. "I stand behind everything I've done. If I've done something wrong, I'll stand behind that also."
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said no criminal charges have been filed. That decision will come after all the records have been reviewed.
Officials declined to comment on the timing of the raid. Investigators said they received a tip that documents in the mayor's office were being shredded.