A Bexar County jail deputy has been fired over images where she is seen posing with the inmates in her custody, one of whom she is flashing the middle finger, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detention Deputy Karla Beltran was fired Monday under the department’s probationary rules. She had started her work on July 1 and had been with the department for only 100 days.
In the images, Beltran is seen in her uniform, sitting near the window that looks into a cell where inmates were kept. On the other side of the window, detainees in blue jumpsuits can be seen posing behind her.
In the images, she is seen sticking her tongue out, making peace signs, and in one image giving the middle finger to the camera. In some images, inmates behind her are making the same poses.
According to San Antonio television station WOAI, Beltran posted the images on social media. The station said it was unknown who took the photos or why.
The probationary period for Bexar County detention deputies and cadets is one year. During this probationary period, the sheriff’s office said new hires can be fired immediately and have no right of appeal.
The office used the probationary dismissal rule in April to fire 18-year-old Adrian Zayas, a probationary detention deputy who had been arrested on a warrant for possessing a controlled substance. At the time of the announcement, the office said he had no way to challenge the dismissal.
Sheriff Javier Salazar’s office oversees the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, a congested jail that houses about 5,000 inmates at times, according to Texas Public Radio.
This made dismissing Beltran easy because once deputies complete probation, they are subject to county civil service regulations. This makes it difficult to dismiss a deputy who has completed probation.
The office has only described Beltran’s dismissal as a probationary dismissal and has not announced any criminal charges against her.
