By Frank Gayaldo
March 4, 2017
Here are some facts regarding “Silva’s naked teenage beer pong party”:
1) No one was naked
2) Silva did not supply the alcohol according to all witnesses
3) Everyone present was over 18, (but some were under 21)
4) This occurred in a well lit common area, not Silva’s cabin
5) Charges were brought forth the last day before statute of limitations ran out and as close possible to the upcoming mayoral election
6) All felonies had to be dropped as the elements of the crimes simply did not exist
7) Not even one misdemeanor has been proven yet
8) Media was tipped off to arrest to be on site hours away from Stockton
9) No agency ever sought a restraining order to prevent Silva from being around children including the same children he was alleged to be a threat to and was arrested the last day of camp not the first
10) the FBI scoured his computer and phone for over a year. Despite rampant rumors, no child pornography charges have ever been made.
Silva released on bail at arrest last year
Tori’s office totally mishandled Silva’s stolen gun that was used in the murder of a child. Releasing to the media Silva owned that gun before Silva could be interviewed was totally inexcusable. Silva agreed to speak with investigators, but wanted his attorneys present. That is a reasonable request.
Even after interviewing him, it is highly questionable if that information should have ever been released to the public until the homicide investigation was concluded. For those that read my comments and think I’m a blind Silva supporter, I’m not. What I am is a critic of the district attorney who has totally failed on so many levels.
Do I think a mayor should be laughing with young adults that are still too young to legally drink, even though he did not supply the alcohol?
NO, but I also agree with the judge that none of this activity even remotely resembled that of a felony.
Do I personally think Silva is innocent of all new charges?
Innocent until proven guilty, but the fact a judge signed an arrest warrant is never a good sign…
Do I think Silva was a good mayor?
I think he was passionate, caring, but immature and quite frankly, odd. He did have a calming effect on those that rightfully feel disenfranchised from the system, of which Stockton has many.
I wish the murder of little Ray Ray was receiving half as much investigative rigor as what the county is putting into Silva’s other alleged fiascos.
I also find it totally nauseating that Tori is pursuing embezzlement charges against a former mayor more rigorously than she is pursuing those same charges against the current sheriff whom I personally know beyond a shadow of a doubt is guilty.
DA Tori Verber
