Defense rests in Dutra’s civil case

Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra took the stand for the second time in his civil trial Thursday, where he doubled down on his denial that he sexually abused a 12-year-old boy 19 years ago.

Dutra is accused of molesting a boy in 2005 in his Los Angeles apartment. 

Criminal charges have never been filed, but the accuser, Stephen Siefke, filed a lawsuit in October 2022 seeking financial damages for emotional damage and years of psychological therapy.

But Dutra points to the timing of the accusations, which came in the run-up to the 2022 election as he vied for a seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.

He told the jury Thursday that the case was also prompted by his recently deceased father’s partner, Suzie McBride, who was upset about the way his estate was being probated and was seeking revenge against Dutra, who was executor.

According to the original court filing, Siefke’s family was close to Dutra’s, and were staying with him at his Los Angeles apartment when they came to visit Disneyland. At one point, the filing states, Dutra returned home one night as Siefke slept on the couch, climbed onto the couch and fondled him.

When asked by his attorney if he had committed the acts, Dutra said he had only met Siefke once, and was firm in his answer. 

“Absolutely not,” he said. “I don’t even remember him. There is no relationship.”

Dutra described for the jury the impacts of the accusations and lawsuit.

This included mailers sent to Watsonville residents in the days after the allegations surfaced, which included photos of Dutra and called him an “alleged child molester” and questioned his position as a teacher in Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

Dutra, along with observers in the courtroom, cried when images of these mailers were shown. 

He said he was “blindsided” by the accusations. 

“It threw my world into chaos,” he said. 

He said that he underwent a rigorous background check when he became a teacher.

“I’ve never had one child say anything bad about me,” he said. 

Dutra’s attorney, Christopher Panetta, also called Dutra’s former boyfriend Christopher Fuentes to the stand, who stated that he never saw any inappropriate behavior against children by Dutra.

In addition, Fuentes said that Dutra’s couch in his Los Angeles apartment was too small to allow anyone to sleep on it, and that the hardwood floors would similarly disadvantage someone who wanted to sleep there.

Panetta also called to the stand Watsonville City Councilman Casey Clark, who is also a former boyfriend of Dutra’s.

Clark said the relationship ended when Dutra began drinking excessively, and engaging in behavior such as touching people in public and making sexual comments.

Clark said he let the behavior go on for longer than he wanted to because Dutra’s father had recently died.

“I gave passes to his bad behavior, but there came a time when I could no longer accept it,” he said.

UC San Francisco neuropsychologist Jessica Foley, who was testifying as a defense witness, said that she doubted that Siefke has post-traumatic stress disorder, as he has claimed, as he wasn’t showing all of the symptoms she would expect.

Seifke’s attorney, Dana Scruggs, questioned Foley on cross-examination, suggesting she wasn’t qualified to diagnose the disorder. He also pointed out that Foley had merely read Siefke’s case file, but had not interviewed him directly.

Closing arguments were expected on Friday. See pajaronian.com for updates.