A judge ruled former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo qualifies as indigent in the Robb Elementary criminal case, allowing public funds for expert witnesses.<\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 \u00a0Former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo<\/a> qualifies as indigent, allowing him to use public funds to hire expert witnesses for his criminal trial, his attorney confirmed to 3NEWS.<\/p>\n Attorney Paul Looney told 3NEWS that 4th Administrative Judicial Region Judge Sid Harle ruled Arredondo meets Uvalde County\u2019s indigence guidelines. According to the motion, Arredondo\u2019s income exceeds his monthly expenses by about $300.<\/p>\n The ruling allows Arredondo to seek public funding to hire expert witnesses to counter experts expected to testify for the state.<\/p>\n Looney told 3NEWS that his firm, Looney Smith Conrad & Hefti<\/a>, is representing Arredondo pro bono.<\/p>\n When asked whether a change of venue has been filed or is expected, Looney told 3NEWS, \u201cI\u2019m sure it will be tried in Corpus Christi if it is tried.\u201d<\/p>\n In January, a Nueces County jury acquitted former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales<\/a> of child endangerment charges tied to the May 24, 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting. Several victims\u2019 families attended the trial in Corpus Christi and expressed frustration after the verdict, with some saying they felt the justice system had failed the victims again.<\/p>\n