Officers arrested San Jose Councilman Omar Torres on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged lewd acts with a child, police said.
Police began their investigation into Torres after they said they discovered sexually explicit text messages that allegedly referenced minors. San Jose police were originally investigating extortion claims, of which Torres said he was the victim, when they found the messages.
Torres’ lawyer has said the messages were “outrageous fantasy and role-playing.”
Since the investigation was made public, Torres has missed city council meetings, faced calls to resign and A recall effort was launched against him.
However, a recall may not be necessary as Torres reportedly submitted his resignation on Tuesday before his arrest, the Mercury News reported.
Before his resignation, the San Jose City Council had already moved to remove him from various committees. The City Council voted unanimously to “remove District 3 Councilmember Omar Torres from all Council appointed appointments.”
“While we do not have the resources we need to remove him from office completely, as the community has asked us to do, we can remove him from all committees, boards and committees,” the spokesperson said. said Mahan, in the press release at the time.
KPIX reached out to Torres’ attorney for further comment.
The police will provide more information about the arrest during a press conference on Wednesday.
