Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra was in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Tuesday, where jury selection began for his civil trial.
The trial is expected to last through Sept. 13, Judge Timothy Schmal told the mostly empty courtroom.
Dutra is accused of sexually abusing a boy in 2005 in his Los Angeles apartment. While criminal charges have never been filed, the accuser, Stephen Siefke, filed a lawsuit i October 2022 seeking financial damages for emotional damage and recompense for years of psychological therapy.
“He has suffered with shame, guilt, low self-esteem, lack of self worth, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder,” The filing states.
The hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday consisted of several motions in limine, which is a chance for attorneys on both sides of the case to exclude evidence before the trial.
According to the court filing, Dutra’s family was close with Siefke’s family when the latter came to Los Angeles to visit Disneyland in the summer of 2005. Siefke was 12 at the time.
As Siefke slept on an air bed in the living room, Dutra got onto the bed, unzipped Siefke’s pants and fondled him, the filing states.
Dutra did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but during a press conference when the accusations surfaced in 2022, he told reporters that the allegations stem from a family dispute.
Siefke’s number-one witness, Dutra said, is his father’s ex-girlfriend Susie McBride, with whom Dutra had recently got out of a contentious six-year legal battle over his late father’s estate.
“This case is about money, and it’s about revenge,” he said. “I am confident that once all the evidence is presented that justice and truth will prevail.”
Dutra also suggested that Siefke’s claims may have had a political motive, since they came as Dutra ran for a seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
In the court filing, Siefke said that he saw Dutra’s election signs, but said his motivation in part was learning that Dutra was working as a middle school teacher in Pajaro Valley Unified school District, and was serving as board president of Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance.
The trial comes as Dutra runs to keep his District 6 seat on the Watsonville City Council against Trina Coffman-Gomez for the Nov. 5 election.
To see the original complaint, visit bit.ly/4g8v8IR.
Pedophiles need the death penalty
Dutra is already braindead. Does that count?
Dave
We need your input here 😝
Hey John! Is Steve still running in November’s race? I figured this Dutra stuff would knock him out.
Hi Dave
I’m not sure? I figured between his obnoxious posts here in the past and his disgraceful Facebook scandal he wouldn’t run for trustee again. I thought they ran him out of Watsonville back to LA because he has been laying low. Of course anything involving Dutra and gay men makes him reappears.
Hope you’re doing well! I’m heading back to Watsonville in October to collect rents!
it’s interesting Jimmy’s handful of grannys have chosen to hide behind shades.
The October 2022 rants were priceless! I’m surprised the Pajaronian still has those comments on their website. That dude Watsonville Truth was a real heat merchant HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Have a great weekend!
What amazes me about this whole Steve-and=Jimmy phenomenon is that their supporters don’t seem to realize that pedophiles are actively recruiting their precious children and grandchildren.
i just checked the watsonville.gov website listing candidates for the 11-5 election and our boy is not among them.
Ack! He must have slunk away.
I was really, really looking forward to his foolishness.
.
Dave
I’m not surprised it’s good for Cabrillo and it’s good for the students
Thanks for the info
Let us review the past comments from 2022 and savor the moment
https://pajaronian.com/jimmy-dutra-denies-sexual-assault-allegations/
Let the jury decide the truth
Jimmy is a valuable community mentor for young boys! He spends a lot of time with boys from our community! They’re only attacking him because he’s a strong gay man with money! Unlike Trumpdump Jimmy isn’t a convicted felon!
You are both pedophiles
Two turds in the Watsonville punch bowl. Hopefully he will pay for his pedophile crimes
Steve, you silly twit.
I suppose you’re going to defend Jimmy because he slows down when he drives in a school zone.
He is NOT a valuable community mentor. He is a parasitic disgrace regardless of what this jury decides. Jimmy has spent his last nickel hiring a trick lawyer who may capture 4 jurors through legal finagling, but the bottom line is already written: Dutra is the Donald Trump of Watsonville, but without the money, the charisma, or the brains.
So we can see that idiots are allowed to leave comments.
Facts don’t care about your feelings
They are accusations Jose not facts. Some of us know the difference Apparently you don’t. Please keep your malicious crap off the public forums. It only hurts our community.
What amazes me about this whole Steve-and-Jimmy phenomenon is that their supporters don’t seem to realize that pedophiles are actively recruiting their precious children and grandchildren.
Your community, Rick? Would that be NAMBLA?
Hahaha good one Dave
I’ve never found Jimmy Dutra to be very effective, we can do better than this.
Voters can elect Trina Coffman-Gomez to City Council, she’s running against Mr. Dutra.
Trina was far more capable as a Councilmember for so many years and she remains the better, smarter choice for Council.
Dutra falsely claims to be “mayor” on the official votescount page https://votescount.santacruzcountyca.gov/Portals/16/nov24/Statement-Dutra.pdf
“As mayor and current Watsonville City Council Member, we’ve faced serious issues from unequal
access to the Covid-19 vaccination, calls to slash police funding, failing roads and infrastructure,
lack of economic growth, increase in homelessness, neglected parks and flooding catastrophes.
My priority is always Watsonville first.”
One more example of delusional rantings of Jimmy Dutra.