SANTA CRUZ >> The jury selection process for the trial of Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra, who is accused of sexually assaulting a minor in 2005, began Tuesday.

Dutra, who is a candidate in this year’s council election, was accused in a 2022 civil lawsuit of “sexually, physically and emotionally” abusing Stephen Siefke during a family vacation in Los Angeles in 2005 when Siefke was 12 and Dutra was 30. Dutra has rejected the allegations, calling them “baseless.”The lawsuit claims that Siefke was on vacation with Dutra’s family when Dutra allegedly engaged in unwanted sexual advances and genital touching while Siefke was attempting to sleep on an air mattress. Siefke’s parents allegedly attempted to report the incident to law enforcement at the time, but Siefke was too ashamed to speak with police over it. He claims he suffered guilt, shame and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder afterward.

Siefke, who grew up in Watsonville, returned to the area in 2020 and was reminded of the incident as Dutra was making a bid for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors two years later. Dutra’s campaign cited his work with youth as board president of Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance and as an after-school substitute teacher at Lakeview Middle School, which prompted Siefke to file the lawsuit. However, after the allegations came out, Dutra was reportedly no longer working with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and he had stepped down as Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance board president.

Shortly after the lawsuit, Dutra questioned the timing, due to both the election and the fact that he had just gotten out of a litigation over his father’s estate with his father’s girlfriend who was included as a witness in the lawsuit.

The case went before Judge Timothy Schmal in Department 10 with a jury conference scheduled to begin Wednesday. Among other things, prospective jurors will receive a hardship questionnaire to determine if there are any hardships to serving, given that the trial is expected to take place all five business days next week. Anyone that Schmal does not find any hardships with will receive a longer questionnaire.

Schmal noted that one of the 75 prospective jurors was a research attorney who had authored an eight-page memorandum on the case, which he felt would disqualify her. He said he would excuse her if he spotted her in the audience of a jury selection process.

Schmal also handled the motions in limine, a process that allows attorneys on both sides to determine whether to include or exclude certain testimonies or evidence before a jury. Because these matters were not resolved by the lunchtime recess, Schmal said he would continue it prior to the jury selection at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Dutra served one term on the City Council from 2014 to 2018 but was re-elected in 2020 and served a one-year term as mayor in 2021. In 2022, he made his third bid for county supervisor following the retirement of Greg Caput and even received a plurality of votes in the June primary, facing off against Felipe Hernandez in the November election. One month after the lawsuit was filed, Dutra was defeated by Hernandez and has continued to serve on the council ever since.

Dutra is running for another council term in District 6, the only contested council election in Watsonville. He is running against former Councilwoman Trina Coffman-Gomez.

Siefke is seeking damages for child sexual abuse, assault and sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, per the lawsuit.

Schmal said the jury selection would begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Department 3. This conference had not yet been listed on the court’s calendar by press time.