The Encinitas City council member facing felony assault and dereliction of duty charges returned to council chambers on Wednesday evening.
District 1 Councilman Luke Shaffer denied any wrongdoing and says he’s committed to keeping the position he was elected to last November.
He entered chambers on Wednesday flanked by two sheriff’s deputies. Both took posts behind the council.
When it was Shaffer’s turn to speak, he denied all charges. He vowed to fight his accuser and stay in the office.
“False accusations will not distract me or deter me from the vital work of that the people of Encinitas elected me to do,” Shaffer said.
He finished to the sound of applause, but some in the gallery expressed their own strong opinions about his place in politics.
“When the people of Encinitas entrusted him with office, they did not give him license to indulge his temper to endanger others or shirk accountability,” one resident said.
“I hope things are done fairly in court, and no one should be forced to recuse themselves because they are accused of something,“ another resident said.
“I think he should recuse himself from participating in the council’s business while a special election proceeds or expected a recall,“ a community member said.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s office filed the charges earlier this month, but according to the complaint, the incident occurred on July 5. NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada reports.
Shaffer is charged with felony assault and two misdemeanors, hit-and-run driving and willful omission to perform his duty as a council member.
The accuser, Declan Caulfield, says the incident happened on July 5 in front of the home he is building on Fifth Street near A Street.
The dispute was over a parking space. Shaffer wanted it; Caulfield was using his trash cans to hold the space for a workman who was on his way back from the landfill. That’s when things escalated. According to court records, Shaffer allegedly not only moved the trash cans but also backed his truck into them and Caulfield. The councilman also allegedly said to Caulfield that he would never get a permit to build there again.
Shaffer pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday. His attorney Isaac Blumberg wrote in a statement: “It is outrageous that the District Attorney would elevate a minor parking dispute into a felony assault case. These charges are a drastic overreach, and we are confident that when the facts are presented, Councilmember Shaffer will be fully vindicated.”
If convicted on all counts, Shaffer could face a five-year prison sentence. Still, he is not backing down.
“I do not think these charges are warranted, and I am not guilty of the accusations,” he said.
Attorneys for Caulfield filed a protective order on Wednesday, asking the court to keep from public view any and all video recordings of the incident, including body-worn camera video from responding officers.