Winkler County Sheriff Found Guilty of Retaliation, Misuse of Official Information

A West Texas sheriff has been found guilty of retaliating against two nurses who filed anonymous complaints against one of his friends.

A Midland County jury found Winkler County Sheriff Robert Roberts guilty of Misuse of Official Information, Retaliation, and Official Oppression Tuesday. Roberts improperly used his position to help his friend, Dr. Rolando Arafiles Jr. retaliate against two nurses who complained to the Texas Medical Board about his conduct.

The 56-year-old Roberts requested copies of the complaints, which included the names of the nurses, and executed a search warrant to gain access to the nurses’ computers.

After the incident, the nurses were terminated from their position due to the complaints, and charges were sought by the Winkler County Attorney’s office for criminal conduct which the nurses reportedly did not commit . One of the nurses was acquitted, and charges were dropped against the other.

Dr. Arafiles and Winkler County Attorney Scott Tidwell are still awaiting trial on retaliation and misuse of official information.

Roberts will serve 100 days in jail on each of four felony counts concurrently, and will pay a $6,000 fine. He will also be removed from office and will surrender his peace officer’s license in the agreement made at the close of the trial.