MARFA — Some residents of the Marfa Housing Authority (MHA) are raising concerns about the site’s management after one resident alleged her car was recently illegally towed.
For resident Sierra Slaughter, the abrupt and seemingly unjustified towing of her vehicle from the apartment parking lots was the culmination of long standing “harassment” by MHA maintenance man and security guard Juan “John” Lara.
In the wake of the tow, which occurred on the morning of Saturday, March 29, Slaughter went public with her concerns by posting on a local Facebook page, alleging Lara illegally towed her car, and she was “tired of being harassed” by him. Several women, some claiming to be previous MHA residents, posted that they too shared negative experiences with Lara — including him entering apartments without warning, making them feel uncomfortable in the shared laundry room, and more, which had prompted them to move out.
Lara also lives in a MHA apartment, and has keys to all the units due to his role as maintenance personnel. He used to serve as a constable for Presidio County.
In an interview with The Big Bend Sentinel, Slaughter, who has lived at the complex for a few years, said the MHA is home to many single moms with kids who are afraid to speak out against Lara for fear of losing their housing. Some residents have even installed security cameras in order to monitor who goes in and out of their apartments, she said. “We don’t even feel safe in our own apartments, and we’re afraid to say anything because we can’t afford anywhere else to live,” Slaughter said.
Another MHA resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sentinel they have also felt targeted and harassed by Lara, but they chose to stay at the apartments because it is one of the only affordable options for their family in town. “I don’t want to lose my apartment because I have nowhere to go with my kids,” they said.
Slaughter and the anonymous resident said there have been numerous instances at the MHA where residents have felt their space and privacy has been violated by Lara — including accusations of stolen clothing. “He does make you feel uncomfortable,” the resident who wished to remain anonymous said. “There’s been times when he’s wanting to open my door. There’s been times that he wants to open my neighbor’s door, and my neighbor has to scream at him to wait because she’s in the shower.”
Lara and MHA Executive Director Jesse Williams did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this story. The MHA is a privately-owned facility which was once made up of entirely government-subsidized housing and is now — after a reclassification in 2022 — made up of both subsidized housing and open market rentals.
Residents alleged that repeated complaints they have made to the Marfa Police Department and to Williams about Lara have resulted in no action, leading to a distrust of the city police force. “Nothing gets done,” Slaughter said. “How many stories do we need, and evidence do we need, to finally get this looked at?”
Police Chief Gilberto Carrillo said, as of press time, the department has not received any formal written complaints about Lara, which Marfa P.D. requires to start investigating. (Written complaints are not generally a legal requirement for law enforcement to launch an investigation but may be requested for a more thorough record compared to a verbal complaint.) “As long as they come to the office, they put everything on paper, then we start working on it right away,” Carrillo said.
Slaughter said she was motivated to “shed some light” on the situation after her car was picked up from her residence by Marfa Tow at the direction of Lara. It is unclear why Slaughter’s vehicle was towed. It was returned to her by Marfa Tow shortly after it was taken.
She said the vehicle in question previously had an out-of-date car registration but that it had been fixed and everything else was in order. While she was in the process of getting her car registration up-to-date, she said she felt “targeted and harassed” by Lara and the Marfa P.D.
Slaughter expressed confusion about the involvement of the Marfa P.D. regarding the towing incident. The morning her vehicle was towed from the MHA, Carrillo was present on the scene, leading her to believe that it was the city police department that was responsible for impounding her vehicle, when in fact it was Lara.
Carrillo denied the harassment allegations. He told The Sentinel he got a call that people were arguing and went to perform a civil standby, and that is why he was present the morning of the towing. He said when he arrived, he did not see an active argument and informed the tow truck driver that police did not call for the car to be towed.
Carrillo said the Marfa P.D. does not tow vehicles from private property, only city rights of way.
Mayor Manny Baeza did not respond to a request for comment on the situation by press time.
For Slaughter, the wrongful tow was yet another example of Lara “abusing” his authority. She said she is not sure whether Williams authorized the tow, and her attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful. “No one’s ever there. He’s never there, and the building’s locked up,” Slaughter said. “You call, no one ever answers. You can never talk to anyone.”
The MHA resident who wished to remain anonymous said they have also experienced a similar lack of communication from Williams. “[Lara] thinks he owns the housing because when you call Jesse he’s never there to answer,” they said. “It’s sad because it’s not right.”
Residents claimed Lara is policing their actions around their homes yet falling down on his actual job duties. “My stove doesn’t work. My door is broken,” Slaughter said. “Nothing’s been taken care of — what he actually needs to do as a maintenance man.”
Residents have attempted to launch complaints with the Odessa Housing Authority as well, they told The Sentinel. But a representative from that agency said because they do not own the property, resident complaints are not their responsibility and instead fall on the shoulders of “Marfa Property Management,” the entity overseeing the MHA.
