In this Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, booking mug released by the Amador County Sheriff’s Office is Anthony Silva, the mayor of Stockton, Calif. A lawyer says Silva has been charged with providing alcohol to minors la…
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Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva, who Joe.My.God. notes has held town hall meetings in an anti-gay megachurch and gave God a ceremonial key to the city, was arrested Thursday at a city-run camp for disadvantaged youth on charges including eavesdropping or recording confidential communications, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, providing alcohol to a minor, and cruelty to a child by endangering health.
Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva made the statement at a news conference Friday afternoon. After receiving the evidence, Riebe quickly moved to have the Amador County, California police charge the mayor.
“Everyone there was over 18 years old”, said Silva. These were contributing to the delinquency of a minor, furnishing alcoholic beverages to individuals under the legal drinking age of 21, and child endangerment. Ever. No. 3, I never provided alcohol to anyone. Never. I never provided alcohol to anyone. “I’m innocent and I appreciate your patience”.
“He absolutely denies these charges, he’s angry and he’s going to fight it”, Silva’s lawyer Allen Sawyer, told Associated Press.
Reichel has suggested the case was part of a politically motivated attempt to discredit the mayor.
“I couldn’t care less about the politics in San Joaquin County”, Riebe said.
Stockton, a city of 300,000 in the state’s Central Valley, has been battered in recent years.
Silva was elected as mayor in 2012 and is reportedly running for re-election in November.
Reuters reported that, according to a criminal complaint filed in court, Mayor Silva has also been charged with three misdemeanor counts.
“For the past week I have been raked over the coals by the media because I owned a gun and reported it missing”, Silva said. Despite the denial, many are calling on Silva to resign immediately.
“This is a devastating body blow”, he said.
During a mayoral candidate debate hosted by Stockton’s NAACP and Black Women Organized for Political Action in April, Silva – who is white – said he was the city’s first black mayor.
The FBI turned over contents of the cellphone to Amador County on July 26. On Friday, Silva said investigators found an audio recording on his phone of a camp “counselor party” that was “about a minute in length”.
An affidavit by a San Joaquin County investigator does not identify the two women and three males it says were playing strip poker in the mayor’s bedroom in August 2015. Camp staff also reportedly spoke to concerned parents directly, telling them that they could come pick up their children if they chose or that the city would make arrangements to get kids home if their parent’s preferred. Silva responds: “Yeah, she didn’t win those too good”. One of the players was a 16-year-old boy.
Investigators allege the 18 year old told them alcohol was available at the camp and several counselors drank.
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“Authorities have had all of this information for a year”, he said. She also said “all of the participants in the strip poker game at some point were naked”. Sawyer declined comment on whether there was a strip poker game.
