Stockton City Councilwoman-Elect Pulled Over, Not Ticketed Despite Reports Of Drug, Alcohol Use
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Stockton Police pulled over a councilwoman-elect for a traffic violation and the report alleges drug and alcohol use, but no one was ticketed.
According to the police incident report from Friday night, Stockton officers said they were driving on Hazelton Street when the car in front of them didn't come to a complete stop at a flashing stop sign. Officers reported seeing the car not fully stop again at two more stop signs. They pulled over the car driven by councilmember-elect Christina Fugazi at Weber Avenue and California Street. Fugazi's boyfriend, Tremaine Manning, was her passenger. Fugazi was not cited and allowed to drive home.
On Tuesday, four days after the traffic stop, details in the incident report were made public and Fugazi told the Stockton Record newspaper the report isn't true.
According to the report, officers said when Manning rolled down his window the officers smelled a strong odor of marijuana. A search of Fugazi's car uncovered a cup that appeared to have held alcohol and an empty bottle of Hennessey under Fugazi's seat.
The officers wrote that Manning was highly intoxicated and under the influence of marijuana and admitted to using both. Fugazi was not impaired and allowed to drive.
Fugazi told The Stockton Record that the police report is not true and that both she and Manning had not taken drugs or alcohol, and were coming home from a three-year-old's birthday party when they were stopped. Her supporters came to her defense online.
Mayor Anthony Silva, who endorsed Fugazi's candidacy, said he requested to see any city or police surveillance video from the traffic stop and asks if the report is true, why wasn't Fugazi cited.
"If someone commits any sort of infraction, they should be cited for it," said Silva.
"I've gotten plenty of traffic tickets in my lifetime, so you should get a ticket if you committed a traffic infraction."
Stockton Police said the traffic stop was one of more than 300 made for an Operation Ceasefire gang enforcement. The officers used their discretion to not cite Fugazi and return to the gang mission.
