Probation Officer Arrested on Theft and Forgery

A current and former employee of Cameron County's Probation Department have been arrested on theft and forgery charges after they were accused of selling $70,000 worth of forged Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark passes.

Sylvia Gonzalez, 37, and Angela Garcia, 32, both of Brownsville, were released on $7,500 personal recognizance bonds following their Monday arrests and arraignments, officials said.

Investigators believe the women sold approximately 600 forged Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark passes this year alone, said Jason Moody, spokesman for the District Attorney's office.

Schlitterbahn officials are conducting an audit to determine if any fake passes might have been sold in previous years.

Gonzalez was arrested at the probation office where she worked as an office clerk. It is not immediately known where Garcia was arrested.

Garcia resigned from her job as a probation officer two weeks ago.

Gonzalez will most likely be suspended with or without pay depending on the circumstances of her case, Human Resources Director Manuel Villarreal said.

Gonzalez's and Garcia's arrests are the result of a month-long investigation by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Group.

The district attorney's office had been contacted by Schlitterbahn employee, Mike Bigelow, director of marketing and sales, who alleged that numerous season passes had been copied and forged.

Bigelow stated that the passes were similar to the ones sold by the county's Human Resources Department to county employees at a discount.

A preliminary investigation shows that Gonzalez and Garcia were allegedly selling adult passes at $30 to $45 and passes for children at $25 to $40. The adult passes normally sell for $99, and season passes for children sell for $69.

Commenting on the arrest and charges, District Attorney Armando Villalobos said, he is disappointed with the situation in which " a few bad apples have taken advantage of a county perk for illicit gain... we are deeply offended that it included persons associated with law enforcement. We will seek jail time."

Authorities urge anyone who may have bought forged passes to contact the district attorney's office.