Wednesday, December 3, 2025

 

BEXAR COUNTY, TX – Like every San Antonian, I am deeply concerned to learn that a convicted murderer, Angel Salas, was mistakenly released from the Bexar County Jail because of a ‘system error’ in our case-management software. This should never happen, not once, not in a county our size, and not in 2025.

 

Although Salas has now been recaptured, this incident underscores a disturbing truth: 

our public-safety systems cannot function when the information flowing into them is incomplete, inaccurate, or improperly managed.

 

This was likely not a failure by the Sheriff’s Office. Jail staff can only act on the data they receive. That data comes directly from the County Clerk and District Clerk through Odyssey, the county’s court-records and case-management system. When the system is poorly configured, when leadership does not audit its accuracy, and when staff are not supported with proper training and oversight, critical information disappears. Dangerous gaps open. And the public pays the price.

 

Even more concerning, this wrongful release of a violent offender is not an isolated mistake. It is the most alarming example yet of a pattern of failures tied to the current County Clerk and District Clerk’s offices.

 

Below is only a partial list of documented breakdowns related to software, reporting, and data protection under the current Clerk leadership:

 

• More than 11,000 Bexar County residents’ Social Security Numbers published online

• Residents’ Unredacted Social Security Numbers STILL published online

• Sealed and expunged criminal cases appeared publicly online

• Innocent people were shown as guilty, and charges were mislabeled

• Civil court documents containing Social Security numbers were exposed online

• Judges not shocked by the terrible Odyssey rollout, citing lack of necessary and appropriate training. 

• County Clerk failed to report hundreds of names of court-ordered mental incompetency findings to Gun Background Check Database, creating a major public safety risk.

• And now: a convicted murderer was released because his 20-year sentence did not appear in Odyssey when he arrived at the jail.

 

These failures do not occur because a single clerk makes a typo. They occur because leadership has not demanded reliability, testing, auditing, or cross-system safeguards. They occur when elected officials that are supposed to be the “Protector of the County Records” treat technology as a talking point instead of a responsibility—stating things like, “Cybersecurity isn’t the job of the County or District Clerk.” And they occur when the systems we all rely on are allowed to operate without independent review or accountability.

 

Bexar County deserves Clerk offices that understand data accuracy, cybersecurity, systems integration, and public safety. The people of this county should never wonder whether their records or their families are protected.  We need new leadership in both the County Clerk and District Clerk offices.›

 

For the last 20 years, I’ve managed and led teams whose mission was to protect everything from national defense systems to government and personal data around the world. As a former Military Intelligence Officer, I hold a Top-Secret Security Clearance and various Cybersecurity Certifications. My work has focused on identifying vulnerabilities, preventing cyberattacks, and ensuring compliance with strict federal and financial regulations.

 

I am committed to working side-by-side with reform-minded partners like Monica Alcantara, candidate for District Clerk, to stabilize Odyssey, strengthen oversight, and rebuild the trust that Bexar County residents, our judges, attorneys, and law enforcement depend on every single day.

 

 

In Solidarity,