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Henry Flores has new legal team defending him

By Ray Gomez

As you may recall, earlier this month Henry Flores changed his plea to guilty on felony charges of solicitation of a minor. Another big surprise in the 49th District Court today as Flores replaced his attorney.

In February, former Webb County Clerk Henry Flores allegedly picked up an 11-year-old boy and took him to his north Laredo apartment where the child saw pornography in Flores' bedroom and, among other things, sat on his lap.

After pleading guilty to soliciting a minor with intent to commit aggravated sexual assault.

Flores showed up for sentencing Monday morning with two new attorneys Zone Nguin and George Altgelt.

When Pro 8 News asked Flores why he changed his lawyers.

This was the response from Altgelt:

"Why did you decide to? Hey, hold on all right. Why did you? Why don't you exercise a little professionalism and give us some space!"

Inside the courtroom, Nguin claimed Flores is on the prescription drug Prozac and says the drug may have caused him to change his plea.

"An innocent person who's on Prozac, who's judgment is impaired, who's very susceptible to influences, people just forcing to move along and he was at odds with the counsel he had so; its just a matter of the voluntariness of his plea. Life and liberty is at stake if plea is not voluntary that’s what we're asking to be reviewed."

Flores's now former attorney, George Garcia says he knew nothing about the use of Prozac:

"I don't really know is he ever mentioned that. He seemed lucid at all relevant times to me but I'm not a medical doctor."

Judge Joe Lopez denied a motion for continuance by the defense but noticed the signature of both Flores and his former attorney were missing from the documents of the plea agreement.

"It was done effectively and that Mr. Flores voluntarily waved his rights and accepted his plea that is the issue right now."

The judge will now look over the court reporter's transcript from November 5th to make sure Flores had been properly advised of his rights when he entered the guilty plea and whether or not Flores understood the consequences of his plea.
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