Donna Official Gets Arrested
By Gregg Wendorf
Advance News Journal
A 20-year career in public service down the drain, AKA, the socalled chute, just like that. Poof. Up in smoke.
That’s how this story is likely to play out for 55-year-old John Robert “Bob” Gonzalez, a Mercedes resident and executive director of the Donna Housing Authority for the past 20 years (19 years and eight months to be exact), dating back to 2004.
Gonzalez was arrested last Thursday night by Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies shortly after leaving a Mercedes bar, and subsequently charged with DWI and possession of a relatively small amount of cocaine, courtesy of a small plastic bag. The problem with coke is that any amount is considered a felony.
According to county records, the Donna Housing Authority’s executive director has no priors, but there is someone named John Robert Gonzalez II, age 27, with a whole host of criminal charges: three misdemeanors and two felonies, ranging from aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, DWI, and unlawful carrying of a weapon, with the most recent charge dated March 7, 2023.
If convicted, the housing director’s DWI will go down as a Class B misdemeanor, but the coke, a state jail felony. Considering it’s reportedly a small amount of cocaine, and the DWI (alleged) didn’t include an accident, injury to a third party, jail overcrowding added to the mix, it’s a pretty safe bet that Gonzalez won’t serve prison time, but his professional work is pretty much toast, and his LinkedIn page, pretty much worthless.
Speaking with a few people this week who know him, they knew the guy drank socially, but didn’t show signs of having a “drinking problem,” per se.
The (alleged) cocaine possession, however, takes it to a whole other level.
For starters, most people still snorting cocaine in their 50s are on a death trip of sorts, considering what it does to the human body:
Dopamine surge: Cocaine blocks the reuptake of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure and reward (which is why so many people love to snort it). This creates an intense rush of euphoria and excitement, followed by a sharp dip when the effects wear off, leading to cravings.
Increased heart rate and blood pressure: Cocaine stimulates the release of adrenaline, causing the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise (not good). This can put strain on the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and arrhythmias.
Constricted blood vessels: Cocaine narrows blood vessels, reducing blood flow to some organs and extremities. This can lead to numbness, tingling, and even tissue death in severe cases.
Seizures and tremors: High doses of cocaine can trigger seizures or uncontrollable tremors due to its overstimulation of the nervous system.
Given the blast, no pun intended, that cocaine inflicts on the user’s central nervous system is probably why stories such as this are so often seen in the news — Lawyer, age 45, found dead in a motel room with evidence of cocaine use by his side.
He or she could get away with it when they were younger, but as their bodies age, so does the lethal risk associated with the drug.
DHA Stability
Even though “Bob” Gonzalez is yet to be indicted, found guilty of the crimes for which he’s now been charged, it should be pointed out that during his 20-year tenure with the Donna Housing Authority (DHA), under his leadership and that of its board, the public housing authority has avoided the drama-ridden scandals making the news throughout most of the 1990s.
During that decade, the DHA was like a running soap opera. Countless lawsuits filed; board members replaced; accusations tossed back and forth like softballs.
For example, in March 1992, then-Interim City Manager Ernest Allison had already replaced all five DHA commissioners with his own appointees.
The city attorney at the time, Ruben Peña, said the dismissals weren’t politically motivated, but were needed because the public housing units were in such disrepair.
That upset, if you will, inside the DHA went on throughout most of the 1990s. After Gonzalez came on board in 2004, he brought stability to the organization, and it’s stayed that way through most of his tenure.
One thing I’ve learned about people is not to judge. If it’s a child molester, or a wife beater, or someone who kills for profit, a dirty cop, sure, I’ll consider them abhorrent if convicted.
For someone like John Robert “Bob” Gonzalez, however, who, granted, has rubbed some people the wrong way in Mercedes’ political circles, where he lives, the fact that he got busted last week for (alleged) DWI and drug possession, considering the guy has no apparent prior arrests or convictions, and he’s 55, it makes you wonder, what’s going on in his personal life.
If it’s true he’s into cocaine, he could not have been a coke head for 10 years and held a steady job, much less 20 years.
In some ways, right or wrong, I feel sorry for the guy. Even if he beats the rap, which is unlikely, his reputation is in the tank, his career is shot, and he’ll have to undergo months, if not years, of regular drug-and-alcohol testing per court order.
For a guy who is already 55, that’s a tough row to hoe.