SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County district judge on Thursday denied a motion to temporarily remove a Northside Independent School District trustee.

Judge Rosie Alvarado ruled that Karla Duran can remain in her position as Third District Trustee while the lawsuit seeking her formal removal proceeds through the courts.

Duran, who did not appear at Thursday’s hearing, was arrested by San Antonio police in September on suspicion of drunken driving but was later granted a temporary transfer pending trial.

Although residents repeatedly criticized Duran at board meetings in the weeks and months following her arrest, there is no policy in the NISD that allows fellow board members to publicly reprimand her.

A resident of Duran’s district, Robert Gonzalez, filed suit in February under a state law that allows public officials to be fired for public intoxication.

Gonzalez, who was among the district residents who denounced Duran for her arrest, testified Thursday that the trustee appeared to be “immune to her actions.”

A public records specialist with the San Antonio Police Department was called to the stand and presented written documentation of Duran’s misdemeanor arrest, but the arresting officer in that case was not subpoenaed in time for the hearing, Gonzalez’s attorney Francisco Canseco told the court.

Alvarado pointed out that although the documents included an affidavit requesting a search warrant for Duran’s blood draw, the search warrant itself was not included.

Canseco told KSAT after the hearing that someone pulled it from the file.

However, the nine-page arrest warrant has been easily accessible since Duran’s arrest and contains a detailed account of her interactions with officers and her conduct at the crime scene.

Canseco’s final witness, Vera Billingsley, agreed to serve as temporary trustee in Duran’s place, but then apparently hesitated to accept the position because it would require bail to be posted within the next 72 hours.

“I wanted some purity there. I didn’t want any coaching,” Canseco told KSAT after the hearing.

Billingsley’s testimony was invalidated after Alvarado denied the request for temporary employment.

“We want justice for the children because she is a bad example,” Billingsley said, adding that Duran has taken steps to avoid talking to residents about her arrest.

In last year’s NISD election, Billingsley finished third behind Duran and candidate Ty Chumbley.

Canseco told KSAT he hopes to take the case to a jury in October or November.

Why wasn’t Duran at her own hearing?

Duran himself was conspicuously absent from Thursday’s hearing.

Her lawyer, Martin Golando, said Duran did not appear because she had not been subpoenaed.

Golando declined to comment on the record after the hearing concluded.

Duran had previously told KSAT in a written statement that she apologized for the disruption caused by her arrest.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales recused himself from the case a few weeks after Duran’s arrest, meaning it was handed over to a special prosecutor.

Duran filed for diversion in February, meaning she could eventually have the arrest expunged from her criminal record.

Pretrial diversion is a contract between the prosecutor and the defendant that typically includes participation in classes appropriate to the charge, such as drug rehabilitation or behavior modification classes, community service, and making restitution.

Read more reports about the KSAT Investigates Page.