The charges contend that he harassed and spied on his ex-girlfriend.
Reportedly, San Bernardino County Supervising District Attorney David Hidalgo stated that Gutierrez was charged with three counts of making harassing phone calls, two counts of unlawful computer access and fraud and two counts of identity theft related to accessing phone records.
Assistant City Manager Betsy Adams had no comment on the charges and said that her and other city officials they will continue with “work as usual.”
When asked if either her office or the city as a whole had any formal comment on the issue, Adams stated that they did not.
It is uncertain if the city has certain legal protocol for situations such as this with city employees. After several attempts to reach City Attorney Robert Herrick, he did not immediately respond.
In an interview with the The Press-Enterprise, Moreno Valley Mayor Richard Stewart said Gutierrez will continue his duties as city manager.
Stewart told the newspaper, “The bottom line is, like everyone, Mr. Gutierrez is innocent until proven guilty. This entire incident revolved around a lady that is an employee with the city of Upland. As I understand, there’s a lot more of it than has been made public. When it comes out we’ll get a different take on it.”
Gutierrez has served as city manager for Moreno Valley for three-and-a-half years.
Gutierrez will appear in court for a September eighth arraignment in Rancho Cucamonga and could face six months in county jail on each of the harassment charges.
Furthermore, he could potentially see up to a year on each of the other charges, although sentences for some of the charges could be served at the same time.
Gutierrez was unavailable for comment.
Andrew Carico can be reached at acarico@publicceo.com