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 county supervisor in District 2 but fell short in the March primary election. He came in fourth place, with the top two vote-getters Madison Nguyen and Betty Duong advancing to the November runoff.
McElmurry told San José Spotlight that Torres is “dying to be heard” and expects the police investigation to wrap up “in the next couple of weeks.”
“The turnaround time on this, we’re hoping, is going to be relatively short. I don’t want to put a time frame on the police, but if what Mr. Torres understands is accurate, then this could be something that is wrapped up in the next couple of weeks from the investigative side,” McElmurry told San José Spotlight. “He’s dying for his chance to respond to this, we just have to wait a little bit.”
San José Spotlight visited Torres’ home near downtown San Jose on Friday. The occupant said Torres wasn’t home.
Torres’ office released a statement Thursday saying he was wrongfully detained and questioned by detectives on “baseless allegations.”
He claims this happened after police were wrongfully tipped off by an unnamed person that he’s filed a police report against for extortion and stalking.
“A clear act of retaliation from this person,” Torres said in a statement.
Torres was first detained Thursday by police detectives and his home, car and electronic devices were searched and seized, sources said. Torres is accused of soliciting explicit images of a minor and having sex with a minor.
Sources told San José Spotlight one of the incidents happened in Chicago where Torres was attending the Democratic National Convention in August.
Meanwhile, a drove of Santa Clara County Democratic Party insiders and supporters flocked to Torres’ defense Friday.
“I am deeply sorry to hear about the challenges you’re facing,” Jesus Flores, president of Latino Business Foundation Silicon Valley, wrote on Torres’ public Facebook page. “Your unwavering dedication to our community has always been evident, and I firmly believe in your integrity. Please know that you have my full support as you navigate through this difficult time.”
This story will be updated.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X, formerly known as Twitter. Contact Ramona Giwargis at [email protected] or follow @RamonaGiwargis on Twitter.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.