Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante Arrested on Several Felony Counts

While on his way to a city council meeting Monday afternoon, Santa Ana councilman Carlos Bustamante was arrested on several charges, including sexual battery and felony false imprisonment, police said.

The former administration manager for Orange County Public Works was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on suspicion of the following, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office:

Six felony counts of false imprisonment;
Three felony counts of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense;
One felony count each of stalking, attempted sexual battery by restraint, and grand theft by false pretense;
One misdemeanor count each of battery, assault, sexual battery, and attempted sexual battery with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing the offenses as a result of sexual compulsion and for the purpose of sexual gratification.

In Oct. 2011, Bustamante resigned from his position with OC Public Works after anonymous letters detailing his alleged sexual misconduct with then-current and former employees prompted a weeks-long internal investigation, according to the OC Register.

At the time of his resignation, Bustamante, who denied the allegations, agreed to accept a 90-day severance package in exchange for not suing the county, the Register reported.

"The allegations in the anonymous letters were unsubstantiated because they are not true," Bustamante said in a statement at the time. "Therefore I have decided to resign my position with the county and pursue a career in the private sector."

City officials do not deny that the old claims and the new arrest might be related, but could not give details into the investigations Monday night.

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