The trial is tentatively slated to begin in January, now more than 200 miles away from Uvalde.
SAN ANTONIO — Two months after the attorney for an ex-Uvalde CISD officer charged in connection with the Robb Elementary School shooting response requested that his upcoming trial be moved to elsewhere in Texas, he got his wish: It will now be held in Nueces County, more than 200 miles away.
Nico LaHood, who is representing Adrian Gonzales in his criminal case, and presiding Judge Sid Harle confirmed the agreement for a change of venue. LaHood had filed the motion requesting the new location, saying he didn’t believe Gonzales could receive a fair trial in what’s expected to be highly visible court proceedings.
“It would be impossible to gather a jury that would not view the evidence through their own pain and grief,” LaHood said in August.
LaHood said the trial is tentatively slated to begin Jan. 5.
Gonzales was indicted on 29 counts of abandoning/endangering a child in June 2024 – more than two years after 19 students and two teachers were killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary – while former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo was indicted on 10 counts. They represent the first and so far only criminal cases related to the tragedy that unfolded the morning of May 24, 2022, in the small South Texas community.
Gonzales failed to engage the assailant after hearing gunshots and being informed of the shooter’s general location, according to the indictment. He’s also accused of failing to follow active shooter training.
Both men have pleaded not guilty, and Arredondo’s legal team mounted an unsuccessful motion to quash his indictment last year.
LaHood previously told KENS 5 his team has “not seen any evidence that would lead us to believe that Mr. Gonzales is guilty of these charges. All he did was show up and try to help those children.”
This is a developing story.