Late yesterday evening, El Paso News received a copy of the divorce petition filed by Oscar Ugarte’s wife, Christina Diaz, on November 7. According to the County’s online docket, the divorce is expected to be finalized today. Oscar Ugarte faces Bobby Flores in a runoff election for Sheriff on May 28.
Ugarte announced that he was running for sheriff on July 25, 2023. About three months later his wife filed for divorce. According to the divorce filing, the couple separated in November. Ugarte, who is the District 1 Constable, was appointed to the seat by county commissioners on March 14, 2016. Prior to becoming the constable for District 1, Ugarte was a Socorro police officer for a short time. Ugarte worked as a bailiff for County Court of Law No. 2 before joining the constable’s office under Robert White. As a deputy in White’s office, Ugarte was appointed by the commissioners to serve out White’s term after White passed in November 2014.
Ugarte Encouraged To Run For Sheriff
Shortly after Richard Wiles announced he was not seeking re-election, a letter, signed by Veronica Escobar, Joe Moody and Lina Ortega was published urging Ugarte to run for the sheriff’s seat. When the letter was published, Wiles was supporting another sheriff’s candidate, Ryan Urrutia, who ended in third place in the recent elections. The letter argued that “Ugarte is an experienced community leader…who has earned the trust of El Pasoans.” The letter – signed by Escobar, Moody and Ortega – closes with “we believe (Ugarte) will best serve El Paso County.”
In her petition for divorce, Christina Diaz alleged that Ugarte “is guilty of cruel treatment” towards her as one of the reasons for the divorce.
Christina Diaz v. Oscar Ugarte Divorce Petition
Diaz asked the court to prohibit Ugarte from committing 37 things in her divorce filing.
Texas Is No-Fault Divorce State
Texas, like all states, provides for what is known as a no-fault divorce. A no-fault divorce is a divorce where neither party must prove that their spouse’s actions led to the divorce. Although Texas allows for the filing of for-fault divorces, generally most divorces are filed as no-fault divorces. Colorado-based divorce attorney Thomas Ramuda told CNN in November 2023 that the most common grounds for the filing of a for-fault divorce is “cruelty – and more specifically, causing a spouse unneeded pain, whether emotional or physical.” CNN was reporting on how Republicans in Texas have the abolishment of no-fault divorce on their party platform.
Because Texas law allows for no-fault divorces, the allegation of “cruel treatment” was not required in the divorce filing.
Diaz listed in the divorce petition that she “should be awarded a disproportionate share” of their shared assets because Ugarte was at “fault in the breakup of the marriage.”
In addition to blaming Ugarte’s conduct for the divorce, the divorce petition also asked that Ugarte be prohibited from “intentionally communicating” with her, “threatening” her or “placing a telephone call, anonymously, at any unreasonable hour, in an offensive and repetitious manner” with the “intent to annoy or alarm” Diaz.
The divorce petition includes a list of 37 things that Diaz asked the court to prohibit Ugarte from doing to her or to their child.
Among the things Diaz asked the court to prohibit Ugarte from committing include “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” cause “bodily injury” to Diaz or to their child. The petition also asked that the court prohibit Ugarte from “threatening” Diaz or their child “with imminent bodily injury,” or destroying any records of property.
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Wife Responds To Allegations In Petition
We asked Oscar Ugarte for comment about the allegations in the divorce petition through his campaign website. Instead of Ugarte responding to our request for comment, we received a response from his wife, Christina Diaz, via email this morning.
Diaz wrote in her response to us that she wanted “to clear up any questions about our divorce, but this will be my only statement to you.” Diaz added that the divorce, scheduled to be finalized today, is “non-contested and none of the language you mention in your email will be in the final decree.” She continued that she “never filed for a protective order, and while Oscar and I were not able to make our marriage work, I regret that the phrase ‘cruel treatment’ was used in the petition.”
Diaz concluded her comments with, “I want to make sure there is no doubt in anyone’s mind” about Ugarte, that “he is a good man,” “was a good husband, is a good father, and he will make El Paso proud as our Sheriff.”
Bobby Flores Comments On Divorce
We asked Ugarte’s opponent in the runoff, Bobby Flores, for a comment about Ugarte’s divorce. In a text message to us, Flores wrote that “many voters have told me that Oscar Ugarte is too inexperienced to be Sheriff.” Flores added “that has always been my main concern with him.”
Flores went on to write that “this new information about his wife’s allegations of ‘cruel treatment’ should have everyone worried, not only about his lack of experience, but about his temperament and treatment toward women.” Flores concluded that the allegation in the divorce petition “is unacceptable and if voters had known this sooner, he wouldn’t be in a runoff.”
Early voting for the runoff election begins on May 20 and runs through May 24. Election Day is May 28.
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So this is a non-story and Ugarte is obviously better than Flores, a Trump supporter pretending he’s not a Trump supporter:
Diaz added that the divorce, scheduled to be finalized today, is “non-contested and none of the language you mention in your email will be in the final decree.” She continued that she “never filed for a protective order, and while Oscar and I were not able to make our marriage work, I regret that the phrase ‘cruel treatment’ was used in the petition.”
Diaz concluded her comments with, “I want to make sure there is no doubt in anyone’s mind” about Ugarte, that “he is a good man,” “was a good husband, is a good father, and he will make El Paso proud as our Sheriff.”
Ugarte is “obviously” qualified? What does that even mean? He is an Escobar puppet. No thanks!