Shocked, blinded sided, and disappointed: Those are some of the words that best describe the reactions from the community following allegations that have resurfaced about a Stockton city official.
Recent reports circulating on social media have brought to light allegations of sexual abuse against Stockton city councilmember Brando Villapudua. The accusations against Mr. Villapudua, who represents District 5 in Stockton and serves a population of over 50,000 residents, emerged following the online posting of a partial copy of a Lodi Police Department incident report from 2011.
Born in February 1982, Villapudua would have been approximately 19 years old at the time of the alleged abuse in 2001. In the document, the 15-year-old appears to tell an officer that Villapudua allegedly touched her inappropriately and groped her multiple times roughly a decade before, when she was just five or six years old.
RELATED:Stockton Councilwoman Michele Padilla Will Not Engage ‘In Private Meetings’ With City Manager Harry Black
RELATED:Stockton City Manager Under Fire For Abusing Authority — Allegedly Used Former Police Chief To Target Hispanic Business Owners
While Lodi police acknowledged an investigation into Villapudua regarding sexual assault allegations, they did not confirm the authenticity of the online document. “I can confirm that there was an open investigation of Mr. Villapudua at the time, with sexual assault allegations,” Lt. Matt Latino said last week, per RecordNet.com
Interestingly enough, the District Attorney’s Office has confirmed that no criminal charges have been filed in connection with these claims. Why? Well, “The District Attorney’s Office rejected the filing of charges due to insufficient evidence and a lack of any independent witnesses or corroboration to support the allegations,” they stated.
However, Latino said last week to the news outlet, “We did forward the case to the DA’s office for prosecutorial review.”
These old allegation have been following Brando Villapudua ever since he’s been in the public eye…even most recently. During a city council meeting on April 2nd, Villapudua put himself back in the hot seat by trying to challenge Jason Lee, who is leading in the race for Stockton City Council — and a video he posted to his social media account; where he mentioned those child sexual abuse allegations.
Going against protocol for Council members to engage with the audience during the meetings, Villapudua said to Jason, “I saw your little video, I have a question for you…”
Although Jason was quietly sitting in the audience, he instantly fired back after being targeted, “Don’t ask me anything until you address what you did to that girl!” Lee said. Villapudua was visibly triggered. While trying to respond he trembled over his words and tried to fight back his emotions. He later got reprimanded by Mayor Kevin Lincoln before yielding back. Watch the clip below posted by 209 Times :
What Else Has Villapudua Said About These Allegations:
In response to the allegations, Villapudua denied any wrongdoing in an interview at Stockton City Hall on Thursday, emphasizing that he has not faced legal consequences and expressing confidence in passing all necessary tests. At present, there is no concrete evidence to support the claims against him.
“Obviously I’m not in jail, I’m not in prison,” he said. “If I ever touched a little girl or anything, I would not be a councilmember.”
The online posting of the document coincides with a series of negative remarks about Villapudua made by his former campaign manager, Motecuzoma Sanchez. Sanchez, who previously worked with Villapudua as a campaign strategist before a dispute and subsequent legal action, shared the document on March 1.
Despite these developments, the shocking situation remains unresolved as authorities continue to assess the validity of the allegations and the circumstances surrounding them.
Source
