Ex-Santa Ana Councilman Bustamante Gets felonies reduced to misdemeanors
Former Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante, who pleaded guilty four years ago to sexual misconduct involving five women with whom he worked at the county public works department, got three felonies reduced to misdemeanors, his attorney said this week.
Bustamante also sought to reduce his five-year probation by a year, which would allow him to work out of state. But when a victim and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office objected, Bustamante’s attorney Edwin Brown withdrew that motion.
“What we thought we would try to do since he did so well on probation – he was a model prisoner in jail – and got through probation without any hitches that we might be able to persuade the judge to let him pursue some additional employment opportunities beyond the state, which he can’t do while on probation,” Brown told City News Service.
However, with the objections, the lawyer said, “We could see the handwriting on the wall.”
Bustamante now stands convicted of single counts each of attempted sexual battery by restraint, attempting to touch an intimate part of another person, stalking, assault, and grand theft as well as two counts of false imprisonment, all misdemeanors.
The move allows Bustamante to eventually seek to have the misdemeanors expunged.
Bustamante may also seek to end his requirement to register as a sex offender, Brown said.
“I don’t think I can make that motion anytime soon,” Brown said. “But he will seek that when he can.”