EDCOUCH, TEXAS (ValleyCentral) — A grant from Governor Greg Abbott’s office meant to help the Edcouch Police Department has been put on hold. 

The hold comes after Assistant City Manager Ernesto Rosales was caught with marijuana at the Sarita checkpoint earlier this month. 

“I know this is tough on our community, but I think as time passes, we’re going to learn a lot from this,” City manager Victor Hugo De La Cruz said. 

In March, the Edcouch Police Department was awarded $90,000 through Operation Stonegarden. 

This comes after Rosales was headed to a conference in Dallas. 

The funds were put on pause, as city officials say this was not because of a recent raid at city hall where several documents were taken. 

“I would say that it’s specific to that incident with our assistant city manager, I don’t think it has nothing to do with the raid because the raid, there’s usually nothing there until something comes out,” Victor De La Cruz said. 

Rosales was at the Sarita checkpoint where Border Patrol agents found marijuana, THC vape pens, and a gun; all in a truck purchased with the same grant money. 

“When the opportunity is there to apply for any type of funding and money that is being distributed throughout any law enforcement agency it’s very important it is crucial, especially with what we’re dealing with right now,” Captain Andrew Perez with the Edcouch Police Department said. 

Perez says this grant money plays a key role in operations. 

These funds were meant for equipment, preventing human smuggling, addressing the possession of narcotics and even paying officer’s overtime. 

“In light of everything that’s going on, like I said I have been tasked for now overseeing the grant and I look forward to making the necessary changes so this incident would not occur again,” Perez said. 

Officials say they are working to correct matters. 

“We’re human, there’s a lot of things going on a lot of moving parts when it comes to running a city and I would ask the community to continue trusting us,” De La Cruz said. 

City officials say currently Rosales has been on administrative leave without pay.