Texas Democratic House Candidate Johnny Garcia Was Suspended Twice as a Deputy, Once After His Gun and Badge Were Stolen From His Car, Records Show
Johnny Garcia, the Democratic nominee in Texas’ newly redrawn 35th Congressional District, was suspended without pay twice during his career with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, according to disciplinary records Fox News Digital obtained through a public records request.
The first suspension came in 2009, when Garcia brought a cellphone into a secured jail area after being told repeatedly not to, the records show. The second came in 2020, after his Glock firearm, four magazines and his badge were stolen from his vehicle, where they had been left against office policy, according to the records as reported by Fox News Digital.
Garcia has made his law enforcement career a central part of his campaign. He faces Republican Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran, in the Nov. 3 general election.
WHAT THE RECORDS SAY ABOUT THE JOHNNY GARCIA SUSPENSIONS
A 2009 notice of suspension quoted by Fox News Digital reads: “You have been instructed multiple times not to bring cellular phones or electronic equipment into the secured area and that doing so is a violation of policy.” The notice said the office was suspending him without pay for three days for “insubordination” and “conduct or action that would seriously impair job effectiveness.”
The 2020 report, as quoted by Fox News Digital, said Garcia’s “equipment was not properly secured and was kept temporarily in your vehicle against Bexar County Sheriff’s policy,” calling it “negligent behavior.” He received a five-day unpaid suspension for “job performance,” according to the county’s records. The firearm was later recovered after Garcia reported it missing, Fox News Digital reported.
The sheriff’s office confirmed both suspensions. “Deputy Johnny Garcia served a 3-day unpaid suspension for bringing an electronic device into a secure facility and a 5-day unpaid suspension for failing to properly secure county issued equipment,” Deputy Noel Diaz said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The disciplinary actions were the agency’s final decision of the incidents.”
The office did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions about how often such suspensions are imposed, but it confirmed that Garcia faced no other discipline from the two incidents.
GARCIA’S RESPONSE
Asked about the suspensions, Garcia pointed to his record and accused Republicans of playing politics.
“As a sheriff’s deputy, I’ve spent nearly two decades putting my own safety on the line to protect my community to keep violent criminals off our streets,” Garcia said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “These politicized claims are Republicans’ desperate attempts to distract from the fact that tariffs and his war in Iran have made everything more expensive for working families.”
Garcia joined the sheriff’s office at 21 and went on to work in the county jail and as a hostage negotiator, according to Fox News Digital. His campaign website describes him as “an old school Democrat” and lists border security as a top priority, alongside affordability and protecting Social Security.
A NEWLY COMPETITIVE SEAT
The district is open because Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, moved to run in the neighboring 37th District after Texas Republicans redrew the map last year. Casar won the old 35th in 2024 by 67.4% to 32.6%, according to Fox News Digital. “Trump and Abbott just rammed through maps designed to kick people like me out of office,” Casar said in a post explaining the move.
Garcia, who has never held elected office, won the Democratic primary runoff in May, defeating housing activist Maureen Galindo, The Texas Tribune reported. De La Cruz, the brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz, won the Republican runoff over state Rep. John Lujan, according to the Tribune.
The race is expected to be far more competitive than in past cycles under the new lines.
Sources: Fox News Digital (Oct. 16, 2026), citing Bexar County Sheriff’s Office disciplinary records and a sheriff’s office statement; The Texas Tribune (May 26, 2026). Cover and in-post background: Bexar County Courthouse, San Antonio, by Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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