San Jose Councilmember Bien Doan says he intends to begin proceedings to remove embattled Councilmember Omar Torres under the city charter amid an ongoing investigation into Torres over child sex abuse allegations. Doan said the Torres scandal is shedding light on needed changes to the city charter — including the creation of a mandatory administrative...
Some San Jose City Hall employees are criticizing politicians for permitting Councilmember Omar Torres to stay in office despite calling for his resignation. This comes as the embattled councilman is asking for a 30-day leave of absence amid a child sex misconduct investigation. City Hall employees who spoke to San José Spotlight on condition of...
The San Jose City Council is formally excusing embattled Councilmember Omar Torres’ absence from an earlier meeting as he battles child sex abuse allegations — allowing Torres to dodge the public eye while holding onto his seat. Councilmember Bien Doan was the lone objection to the council’s Tuesday 8-1-2 vote, with Torres and Councilmember Dev...
San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres has been a public no-show despite refusing to step down over a child sex crime investigation. Now critics are calling on the City Council to remove him. Mayor Matt Mahan has argued with at least one person online over whether the council has that kind of power. He and other...
San Jose councilmembers are calling for the resignation of Omar Torres almost a week after a police affidavit revealed he’s under investigation for alleged sex crimes involving minors. “We are in the midst of an active and ongoing investigation, and as our police department uncovers the truth, that truth will be shared with the community....
In a frenzied attempt to uncover who’s “leaking” details about a councilman accused of child sex crimes to the media, San Jose’s top administrators allegedly tried to question more than two dozen police officers — without informing them of their rights or following an investigatory process. A legal demand letter sent by the San Jose...
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....
The criminal investigation related to Councilmember Omar Torres has taken an ugly political turn — with people lining up to either defend or denounce the downtown politician. San José Spotlight knew that would happen when we broke the news Torres was being accused of child sex abuse. What we didn’t expect is San Jose City...
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...
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...
