Judge denies motion to suppress; defendant found guilty after bench trial in search that produced meth

Judge Stephanie Boyd denied a defense motion to suppress evidence gathered after a traffic stop and found Carlos Vasquez Saldana guilty following a bench trial in Bexar County. The court then imposed a two-year state-jail sentence suspended and placed Saldana on community supervision for two years with multiple conditions.

The court’s ruling resolved a central dispute at trial over whether Saldana’s verbal consent to a vehicle search was voluntary while he was handcuffed. Defense counsel argued consent was involuntary because Saldana was restrained, not told why he was detained and had not been advised of his rights in Spanish. Prosecutors and the arresting officers testified that a Spanish‑speaking officer arrived within minutes and obtained a verbal consent, and that other facts supported the officer’s reasonable decision to detain Saldana for officer safety.

Boyd summarized the evidentiary record and told the parties she had reviewed the video of the stop. She said the Spanish‑speaking officer arrived promptly and that the record did not…