A San Jose police sergeant and City Council candidate has had his officer certification temporarily suspended by the state police board amid allegations of mortgage fraud. The state’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training temporarily decertified Tam Troung on Sept. 18 due to his pending criminal proceedings. The state board decertifies officers when they...
Police: San Jose official investigated for alleged ‘oral copulation of a minor’
New court records released Thursday show San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres is being investigated for “oral copulation of a minor” — a stunning development in a criminal investigation that’s rocked Silicon Valley. In the filings, police say they interviewed an individual named Terry Beeks, who is described as a 21-year-old Chicago resident allegedly extorting Torres....
State gives San Jose millions to clear homeless camps
The state plans to give San Jose $4.8 million to help clear encampments and provide support to unhoused residents. But it’s a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the city needs to tackle homelessness. Gov. Gavin Newsom doled out $130.7 million last week to assist in reducing the number of homeless people statewide....
Crime data in San Jose just got smarter
Residents will soon be able to view San Jose Police Department crime statistics broken down by council districts as part of an effort to expand transparency requirements citywide. Rules Committee members voted unanimously to approve a proposal by Councilmember Arjun Batra to publish public safety data by districts. Batra said his goal is to change the...
San Jose police union office manager pleads guilty to drug smuggling
The federal drug smuggling case against Joanna Segovia ended with a plea deal in court Tuesday, closing the saga of the woman known as the “grandmother” of the San Jose police union. Segovia’s guilty felony plea to U.S. Judge Eumi Lee admits she imported 17,400 doses of the opioid Tapentadol in a 17-month period between...
San Jose official warned about councilmember’s alleged misconduct
A San Jose elected official was warned that Councilmember Omar Torres was involved in child sexual misconduct – more than a year before Torres became the target of a police investigation that rocked Silicon Valley. In screenshots obtained by San José Spotlight, a tipster who used the pseudonym “John Wick” messaged one of Torres’ colleagues...
San Jose nonprofit raised funds with suspended tax-exempt status
The San Jose Vietnamese Running Club breaks a sweat to raise money for underserved children in Vietnam. But its overseas mission has become targeted by local anti-communist campaigns — and the club may have raised money illegally. State records show the California Franchise Tax Board suspended the running club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in 2021....
San Jose police program in the spotlight after officer death
Police officers across Silicon Valley are mourning San Jose’s first community service officer killed in the line of duty — a gesture to how integral these officers have become in a city that struggles to fill its police ranks. Long Pham, a community service officer with the San Jose Police Department since 2022, was killed...
San Jose official lawyers up, blasts child sex abuse allegations
Less than 24 hours after San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres was detained and investigated for sexual misconduct involving a minor, he claims he’s being extorted and has lawyered up — and his attorney is a familiar face in political circles. Torres has enlisted Nelson McElmurry, a San Jose lawyer who earlier this year ran for...
Sources: San Jose official under investigation for child sexual abuse materials
San Jose police have served a search warrant on Councilmember Omar Torres on suspicion of child sexual abuse material and underage relationships, multiple sources have told San José Spotlight. A San Jose Police Department spokesperson confirmed Thursday night that a criminal investigation is underway into a councilmember, but declined to say why. Two sources told...