EDINBURG – The former mayor of Edinburg reacted to the news of Mayor Richard Molina's arrest.

He spoke with CHANNEL 5 NEWS about what could happen next.

Richard Garcia was mayor of Edinburg for 11 years before losing his seat to Richard Molina in 2017.

Molina received 1,200 votes more than Garcia did in the November election.

Today, he expressed regret for the arrest and the charges.

He described this as a loss for the community as a whole.

Garcia says he did not contest the election and respected the voice of the majority.

He heard about discrepancies after the election.

According to his understanding of local and state rules, Molina can keep his seat for now.

Garcia explains, "The way I understand the process is, once you are convicted of a felony, my understanding is that they're felony charges, once you are convicted of a felony, you are removed effectively."

In the state of Texas, an elected official can continue performing their duties until they are finally convicted (when they lose all appeals). 

Garcia said it's too premature to entertain the idea of running for office again.

He went on to explain he might consider if there's a vacancy and he can't find a candidate to support; however, it's not his goal at this time.