Mario Santos, Jr.

Mario Santos, Jr. (March 2, 1940 - January 26, 2014),^[1] was from 1977 to 1988 the sheriff of Webb County in South Texas. During his tenure, the county built its current jail and detention center.^[2]

Background

A native of Laredo, Texas, the county seat of Webb County, Santos was one of four children of Mario Santos, Sr., and the former Rosemary Moore, both of whom are deceased.^[2] He graduated in 1959 from Martin High School in Laredo and holds an Associate of Arts from Laredo Community College, then known as Laredo Junior College. In 1963, he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and a minor in history and government^[3] from the Kingsville campus of Texas A&M University. He became a probation officer, first for juveniles and then adults.^[2] In 1963, he received an instructor's certificate from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education. In 1967, Santos attended the Juvenile Officers Institute at the University of Minnesota.^[3]

Political career

In 1976, Santos upset in the Democratic primary election veteran Sheriff Porfirio Lauro "P. L." Flores (1912-1993), the candidate of the then ruling Independent Club and the father-in-law of the subsequent district attorney, Julio A. Garcia.^[4]Santos had been chief deputy under Sheriff Flores.^[5] Santos then faced no opposition in the general election. While he was sheriff, Santos graduated from the FBI Academy at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia.^[2]

After three four-year terms as sheriff, Santos himself was upset in the 1988 primary by another Democrat, Juan Garza, who held the office for four terms until his own defeat in 2004 by Ricardo "Rick" Flores.^[5]

Santos' defeat is attributed to a failed attempt by inmates on February 3, 1986, to break out of the former jail while the new structure was still a few months from opening. The previous structure, obsolete and dangerous, had been condemned by the Texas Jail Commission. The breakout attempt cost the life of a young jail guard, Jose Gerardo "Curly" Herrera^[3] (1963-1986), in whose honor an historical marker has been placed at the Webb County Courthouse.^[6]

In 2000, Santos failed in a bid to oust Garza, whom he claimed "failed to monitor expenditures and provide adequate supervision at all times. He has not implemented effective inventory controls and instilled professionalism in his department."^[3] Had he been returned to office, Santos said that he would have concentrated on establishing a civil service commission for the sheriff's department and the integration of law-enforcement initiatives with federal and state authorities, particularly in the war against narcotics.^[3]

One of Santos' deputies was the current Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, who also was employed for twenty-five years by the Texas Department of Public Safety.^[7]Cuellar called Santos "a great leader with the sheriff's office."^[1]

Later years

After his time as sheriff ended, Santos was involved in real estate, worked as a customs broker, raised horses,^[1] and operated several amusement centers in South Texas. His business travels took him to Mexico, South America, Africa, and Taiwan.^[2]Antonio Adolfo "Tony" Zardenetta, a retired judge of the 111th District Court who resides in San Antonio, recalls Santos as "quite a character in every sense. He had a strong personality. He was good-humored, but he was stern when he had to be."^[1]

Santos died at the age of seventy-three of pulmonary fibrosis in a Laredo hospital. He and his wife of fifty-six years, Sylvia Santos, had four children, Judy Campos and husband Juan, Maria Eugenia "Gigi" Perez and husband Victor, Mario Santos, III, and wife Rosa Isela Santos, and Delfino P. Santos. He also had another child that he had out of wedlock. Her name is Elsa Yvette Santos and she is 33 years of age. He dearly loved his baby girl. Memorial services were held on January 31, 2014, at Joe Jackson North Funeral Chapel in Laredo, with the Roman Catholic deacon, Joe Longoria, officiating.^[2]

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