After spending two weeks in the Nueces County jail, A.B. Quintanilla has been released.
The Grammy winner was granted release on August 29, according to court documents. A commitment order against Quintanilla was deemed void for lack of evidence by the Court of Appeals in the 13th District of Texas.
The 53-year-old musician petitioned the court arguing that the trial court erred by revoking his community supervision and ordering him committed to the county jail for his failure to timely pay court-ordered child support.
“We will conclude that the commitment order is void because it was not supported by evidence establishing that relator violated the terms of community supervision,” the court document states.
Quintanilla was arrested during a hearing on August 16 by District Judge Missy Medary after he agreed to pay the full amount of child support owed, as well as attorney’s fees and unpaid medical expenses. The trial court indicated that it would accept the agreement but nevertheless found he had violated the terms of his community supervision and ordered him immediately committed to the county jail “for 180 days, or as further ordered by this Court.”
The court of appeals agreed the commitment order is void because there was no evidence in the record that Quintanilla violated the terms of his community supervision. The only evidence given at the August 16 hearing was brief testimony confirming that a settlement agreement had been reached. There was no testimony or other evidence establishing that Quintanilla violated the terms of his community supervision.