(April 2, 2008)

KINGSVILLE--Authorities said a former Kingsville Taskforce Police officer was charged with theft by a public servant. The former officer has confessed to embezzling nearly 50 thousand dollars in confiscated drug money over a three-year period. He plead guilty in court today.

Authorities said the officer worked with the department for 20 years with a spotless record. While they thought he was a clean cop, an investigation showed he was taking money to pay for his monthly bills.

J.R. Ibarra pled guilty to a second-degree count of theft by a public servant and was sentenced to 10 years probation. He admitted to taking about 47 thousand dollars when he was a Kingsville Taskforce Police officer from 2004 to 2006. 

"It's been very difficult for him, simply because he has been in law enforcement for some time," said Pedro Garcia, Ibarra's defense attorney. "It was a problem that was created and he feels very badly about it."

Authorities said he wasn't using the money for anything illegal.

"It wasn't being used for drugs, gambling, drinking or anything like that," Garcia said. 

"He wasn't driving around in a Mercedes," said John Hubert, who is the Kleberg County District Attorney. "He was using it to pay personal bills."

The DA said Ibarra was taking cash used for confidential informants.

"He went and embezzled funds from the taskforce,the law enforcement agency for, with the intention of paying it back later, but he kept embezzing a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more until finally he couldn't pay it back," Hubert said. 

As part of the plea deal, Ibarra agreed to pay back more than $50,000 for the money he took and the audit performed by authorities. The judge also ordered Ibarra to peform 250 hours of community service.

Some may argue Ibarra's 10 years of probation was a light sentence and he got off easy, but the DA disagrees and he says this case was handled appropriately.

"We think a straight conviction on this case is very appropriate and I don't think he was given any leeway," said Hubert. 

The DA said Ibarra will never work again as a law enforcement officer.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com