Former Bexar County constable Michelle Barrientes Vela, who was formally acquitted of criminal charges early last year, filed two lawsuits in federal court this month accusing law enforcement of using false and misleading evidence to investigate her for public corruption.

A civil rights suit filed Sept. 8 names Texas Ranger Bradley Freeman and Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Escobedo as defendants, while a second civil rights suit filed Friday accuses Bexar County of pushing a false narrative that culminated with Barrientes Vela's 2020 indictment on multiple misdemeanor and felony charges.

The first suit accuses Escobedo, a 16-year veteran of BCSO, of adding false information to an April 2019 incident report in which someone at Rodriguez Park claimed Barrientes Vela was shaking him down for cash to pay for security on Easter weekend.