San Jose mayor, city council call on Omar Torres to resign

( KRON ) — Calls for embattled San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres to resign intensified on Wednesday with the city’s mayor and city council calling on him to step down. Torres is currently under investigation for oral copulation of a minor.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the rest of Torres’ city council colleagues issued a statement Wednesday calling for “the resignation of District 3 Councilmember Omar Torres in light of information revealed in an ongoing police investigation into his alleged conduct.”

“We all live in a nation in which we are innocent until proven guilty,” the statement goes on to say, adding that, “given the appalling nature of Omar Torres’ own words and the allegations against him, we believe that he has lost the trust of the community and is no longer able to effectively serve the residents of District 3. As his own words call into question his ability to lead and make decisions on the behalf of the community, we are calling on him to resign.”

Court documents show that Torres reported to San Jose police that Terry Beeks , a 21-year-old Chicago man extorted $22,000 from Torres, threatening to release explicit photos and videos of the councilman. After a search of Beeks’ devices, the investigation shifted to Torres, who is the first openly gay Latino San Jose city councilman according to his bio, after police found disturbing chats regarding minors.

Torres (D-San Jose) is also accused of sexually exploiting minors. Attorneys for the councilman have claimed that lurid text messages revealed in a sworn affidavit, some of which detail potentially criminal behavior, were “ outrageous fantasy and role play ,” but did not “reflect any real-world actions or intentions.

Torres’ attorneys at the law office of Nelson Mcelmurry told KRON4.com that, “Torres does not intend on stepping down. He has to respect the legal process. He fully intends to continue serving his constituents.”

He has denied all allegations, blasting them as “ baseless ” and “entirely false.”

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