A news story in the Jan. 14 issue of the Coastal Bend Herald, questioning Gilliam’s character, failed to shake the official’s confidence in Gilliam.
Mayor George Hernandez, Marshal John Pope, Sheriff Robert Bolcik and Gilliam debunked the story written by Kerry A. Riley.
Hernandez said “Mr. Riley got his facts all wrong.”
Riley alleges in the article, among other things, Bolcik “wouldn’t have anything to do with that man (Gilliam).”
“The things I said to Mr. Riley were deliberately misconstrued to his benefit for the story,” Bolcik said. “As far as I know, Gilliam is a good man.”
Riley also alleges Bolcik ended his appointment of Gilliam as a reserve deputy with the county “when the Refugio sheriff was made aware the former Aransas County sheriff seemed to have a ‘controversial past’ and had been connected financially to Mauricio Celis, the man convicted on one count of impersonating a lawyer and facing other charges in Nueces County.”
Bolcik said that clearly was not true.
“When I took Gilliam’s commission as a reserve deputy, I didn’t know the sheriff’s department had a quota of 10 reserve deputies,” Bolcik said. “When I was informed of the policy, I had to let him go. He was the last to be hired so he was the first to go.”
Woodsboro’s town marshal said he called Riley to discuss his accusations.
“He acted angry,” Pope recalled. “Mr. Riley went off on me when I asked him if he had any proof or if Gilliam had any charges against him. Riley said ‘no, I don’t’ and hung up on me.”
Pope, who was hired as marshal in May 2009, was a former officer in Sabine County in East Texas. The marshal told Riley he never heard of Mauricio Celis, a fact that Pope said Riley appears to refute.
“‘I don’t know who he is,’ Pope stated in reference to Celis, who has been in the news for the past three years in Corpus Christi,” Riley wrote.
“Mark Gilliam seems like a good Christian man to me,” Pope said. “Mark has got an excellent background and more certifications than most officers have. I think it’s a personal vendetta with Mark and Riley’s just trying to cause a stink.”
Mayor Hernandez said Riley never called him to discuss the appointment, but speculates that the story is politically motivated.
“I don’t know if all this spills over from the past administration and frankly I don’t care,” Hernandez said. “I care that Mr. Riley got his facts all wrong.”
“Though Bolcik is adamant about not having any influence over Woodsboro’s law enforcement, the Herald News learned that Hernandez works as the Refugio County chief jailer,” Riley’s story said.
“The council appointed Mr. Gilliam based on what John (Pope) recommended,” Hernandez said. “The sheriff had nothing to do with it. We didn’t ask the sheriff, because, frankly, it wasn’t his business.”
Riley also reported that Gilliam “exposed himself,” and “was financially connected to Mauricio Celis,” and that meth lab arrests never went to court.
Gilliam said Riley “just hates me with a passion is all I can figure.”
The former Aransas County sheriff said a video taken more than 20 years ago at a New Year’s Eve party with other officers on the police force became part of a heated sheriff’s campaign. Gilliam said he was dancing at the party and was being goaded by the person taking the video.
“I mooned him, never knowing or thinking that that video would surface 20 years later during a campaign,” Gilliam said. “It was so old, I didn’t recognize myself or my clothes.”
As far as the accusation that Gilliam did nothing about a drug house in Rockport, Gilliam says, “It’s not there anymore. You’re not always able to arrest and convict people you suspect of selling drugs.”
Gilliam’s alleged “financial connection” to Celis was a campaign contribution.
“Mr. Celis grew up in Rockport,” Gilliam said. “He was in high school when I was on the police force. (Former Nueces County Sheriff) Larry Olivarez introduced me to Mr. Celis some years back —probably between 2006 and 2008. He wanted to support my political campaign. All I knew about him was that he was an associate and friend of Larry Olivarez.”
Gilliam said, “I’ve never been accused of having a connection to Celis and never been questioned about that. It’s just Mr. Riley’s attempt to connect me to illegal activity.”
Celis has been widely reported to have made contributions to numerous Democratic candidates, including gubernatorial and presidential races.
The reserve officer said he listed the contribution on his campaign finance report when he ran for sheriff.
“(Riley) is just grasping for straws,” Gilliam said.
Bolcik says the story was so erroneous that he changed his policy toward the reporter. “Mr. Riley lives in Bayside and this office will be there for him as a citizen but he’s not welcome in my office any more.”
Bolcik maintains an open-door policy to all the residents of the county; however, the sheriff instructed his secretary to turn Riley away.
Riley failed to respond to a voice mail message or a message left in his office to contact the County Press for comment on this story.
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