It turns out one of the candidates for Merced’s Irrigation District Board can cause a real stink.
Kevin Gonzalves, a Merced Irrigation District board director up for re-election, was convicted of a misdemeanor nearly a decade ago for defecating on public property, according to documents obtained by the Sun-Star.
Gonzalves pleaded no contest and was convicted in 2009 of a single misdemeanor count of being a public nuisance. A Stanislaus County Superior Court judge issued an 18-month order instructing him not to “urinate, defecate or vomit in any public place” as part of his probation. He was not an elected official at the time.
The unfortunate recipient of Gonzalves’ poo package was Stanislaus County Agriculture Commissioner Dennis Gudgel, who had recently fired Gonzalves from his job. Video surveillance caught Gonzalves dropping the load on the Commissioner’s office lawn on Sept. 15, 2008, presumably out of spite. Gonzalves' girlfriend was also implicated in the crime.
Gonzalves' legal troubles didn’t end there. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to vandalism and was ordered to stay away from his ex-wife who accused him of violent and erratic behavior.
Despite his sordid history, Gonzalves went on to win election to the irrigation district’s board of directors in 2012. Since then, he has run into a few more controversies -- though none as entertaining as pooping on someone’s lawn.