Watsonville City Councilmember and Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors candidate Jimmy Dutra is being sued by a man who claims the official molested him when he was 12 years old.
The lawsuit was filed in Santa Cruz County Superior Court on Oct. 5. The plaintiff is Stephen Siefke, 29, who says he was a family friend of Dutra’s.
The alleged assault occurred in 2005 when Siefke visited Dutra in California during a family trip to Disneyland. Siefke says he was sleeping in the living room when Dutra allegedly approached him and “proceeded to unzip my pants, place his hands inside my underwear, and fondle me sexually.”
Siefke says he did not tell anyone about the encounter until high school. He says his parents contacted Los Angeles police, but that he was too scared to speak up. He says he also told friends, family, and his therapist at the time. He is coming forward now, he claims, after learning that Dutra is running for supervisor, and that he previously worked as a middle school teacher with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
Dutra has denied the allegations.
"This is about my dad's disgruntled girlfriend, that I just got out of a six-year litigation with over my father's estate," he said. "So let's be clear what this case is about. This case is about money and revenge."
“It is completely disappointing in today’s age of politics that people are reverting to such unbelievable and appalling tactics,” Dutra added. “These accusations are baseless and made solely to tarnish my reputation and campaign.”
Read more at The Pajaronian.