Varela out of jail; Progreso will publish his version of events
By Alvaro F. Fernandez
Progreso Weekly columnist Jose Varela was released tonight on bail at around 9 p.m. I was there when he exited. TV camera personnel who had waited most of the late afternoon to interview him missed him when he actually did exit. Together with me, he walked past numerous TV cameras and reporters waiting to speak to him as we left the Miami-Dade County jail. We walked around the block to pick up his belongings after his release and as we exited our parking spot almost 45 minutes after his release, the TV trucks were still waiting for Varela to exit the jail. Hopefully they’ve gone home to rest, because I know Varela is doing just that at his home.
Varela was charged with resisting an officer with violence to the police officer, battery, and resisting an officer without violence. When he appeared before a county judge early this morning (October 22), the judge threw out two of the charges: the battery and the resisting an officer without violence and lowered bail from $7,500 to $5,000.
As editor of Progreso Weekly I ask our readers to wait until all versions of this story are told. Tomorrow Progreso Weekly will offer an account of the event by Jose Varela himself. In the meantime, I would ask you to meditate on several occurrences:
1. Mr. Varela was visited in jail today by members of the state attorney’s office. They sought his testimony on the beating he took. The question is by who or whom? From what I understand the state attorneys were not convinced of the veracity of the police report.
2. It is also important to question and consider the charge of battery (dropped by the judge). If there was battery, the violence seems to have been done to Mr. Varela. (As the photograph demonstrates.) There are currently reports on the internet that it was a boxer/boyfriend of his ex-wife who got into an altercation with Mr. Varela. Where is that person? What is his name? And if the police felt he was battered, why have we not seen a picture of the man?
These and other questions will be answered by Mr. Varela tomorrow in Progreso Weekly. Stay tuned.
