The plea hearing for disgraced former San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres has been delayed to next month, but his attorney said his client is willing to accept responsibility.
Torres appeared at the main county courthouse Friday morning, but his hearing was delayed until Feb. The former District 3 leader, who resigned from the San Jose City Council and was arrested on Election Day, faces a maximum 24 years in jail if convicted on three felony counts of child molestation, including sodomy.
Explosive police filings in two separate investigations revealed he admitted to molesting an underage relative in the s and more recently sent lewd texts about minors and asked for people under the age of 18 for sex. Torres has been in jail without bail for 12 weeks. It comes nearly four months after San Jose police first detained and interrogated Torres — and confiscated his devices — in an investigation tied to the lewd texts. Torres was in a sexual relationship with a man in Chicago who later extorted the councilmember over their messages.
Torres sought help from the police, but his decision later backfired when police found his messages about minors. Torres maintained his innocence after the investigation went public in October and sent shockwaves through political circles.
He claimed he was the victim of political retaliation, with supporters rushing to his defense. But that support crumbled after police released transcripts of the messages. Torres then faced calls to resign from both former political allies and the entire city council. Torres refused — attempting to hold onto his position while dodging all public appearances.
