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David Martinez (Minnesota)
David Martinez was a 2018 nonpartisan candidate for the Ward 4 seat on the St. Paul City Council. Martinez lost the general election on August 14, 2018.
Elections
2018
See also: Municipal elections in St. Paul, Minnesota (2018)
General election
Special general election for St. Paul City Council Ward 4
Mitra Jalali defeated Shirley Erstad and David Martinez in the special general election for St. Paul City Council Ward 4 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mitra Jalali (Nonpartisan) | 53.4 | 5,642 | |
| Shirley Erstad (Nonpartisan) | 41.0 | 4,335 | ||
 | David Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 5.0 | 533 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 60 | ||
| Total votes: 10,570 | |||
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Noteworthy events
Arrests for revenge porn and violating an order of protection (2018)
- See also: Nonconsensual pornography (revenge porn) laws in the United States and Noteworthy criminal misconduct in American politics (2017-2018)
Martinez was arrested on Monday, July 16, 2018, on charges of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, commonly referred to as revenge porn. He was accused of posting a topless photo of his wife on his campaign website over the previous weekend, along with a link to a restraining order she took out against him. On July 15, 2018, Martinez's campaign website was taken down.[1][2] Martinez stated that he did not post the photo and that someone hacked his website.[3] He was released from jail on July 18, 2018. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office did not file any charges. In Minnesota, nonconsensual pornography can be a felony offense.[4]
In an article published on July 15, CBS Minnesota wrote that St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and fellow candidates Shirley Erstad and Mitra Jalali all called for Martinez to withdraw from the race following the incident. "Mr. Martinez’s actions against his family and the broader community are completely unacceptable and disqualify him from holding public office,” Erstad said.[1]
On July 20, 2018, Martinez stated that he would not drop out of the race. "Why would they not want me to drop out of the race? Because I'm a threat to them," Martinez said. "I'm a smart guy, who has served on boards and commissions and who knows how the power dynamics work."[5]
On August 7, 2018, Martinez was arrested for allegedly breaking an order of protection when he went to the elementary school his two children attend. The protection order was granted to his wife and their children, with temporary custody given to her. The order indicated that further custody details would be decided later by the courts.[6] Martinez was charged with violating the order of protection and released from jail on August 8, 2018. On August 9, 2018, he was arrested, again for allegedly violating the order of protection. He was released on August 10, 2018, without charges.[7]
As of December 2019, this misconduct story appeared to be concluded and Ballotpedia discontinued active coverage. Please contact us if new developments occur with this story.
See also
| St. Paul, Minnesota | Minnesota | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CBS Local, "Police Begin St. Paul City Council Candidate Investigation," July 15, 2018
- ↑ CBS Local, "St. Paul Council Candidate Arrested For Possible Revenge Porn," July 16, 2018
- ↑ MPR News, "Candidate accused of revenge porn says website was hacked," July 17, 2018
- ↑ CBS Minnesota, "St. Paul City Council Candidate Released From Jail, No Charges Filed," July 18, 2018
- ↑ KARE 11, "St. Paul City Council candidate says he won't drop out of race," July 20, 2018
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "St. Paul City Council candidate arrested for allegedly violating protection order," August 7, 2018
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "St. Paul city council candidate Martinez arrested again; city attorney’s office declines to charge," August 10, 2018
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