Stockton Unified Trustee AngelAnn Flores plans to sue DA, sheriff following arrest
Current Stockton Unified School District Trustee AngelAnn Flores is a "victim of political retaliation, and is paying the price for raising her voice to fight corruption," so says her attorney following the elected official's arrest.
Flores was handcuffed and booked by sheriff's deputies at 3:20 p.m. Friday during a traffic stop near West Lane and Alpine Avenue in central Stockton. She was booked into San Joaquin County Jail at 5 p.m., according to booking records.
Her bail was set at $175,000, about $1,750 through a bail agent. She was released from jail Friday night, according to booking records.
The school district trustee is facing multiple felony charges, including theft of public funds by using her credit card to purchase fuel and food for her personal gain; grand theft exceeding $950; embezzlement by a public official; and insurance fraud for knowingly filing a false insurance claim as a result of a non-SUSD-related vehicle wreck.
Former San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar and Mark Bowman are representing Flores.
"It is not surprising that today with a camera crew following along, local law enforcement made a very public display of the arrest of a person who has dedicated her life to helping this community," Verber Salazar said. "AngelAnn would have voluntarily surrendered to local law enforcement. She has no prior history, no weapons were taken from her home, and she has been a model citizen who has fully cooperated with the sheriff's office."
Her attorney also pointed out the current school board member's public ridicule by the 209 Times, a local social media account that promotes certain elected officials.
"For her courage, she has been harassed and bullied by a local social media group's hand-picked elected official," her attorney said. "(Today's) public display is nothing more than retaliation for her courage to stand up to corruption."
Flores plans to sue
In a statement, Verber Salazar said that Flores served notices to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, and Stockton Unified School District last week. She intends to sue all three.
California law allows individuals who are injured or whose property is damaged by the wrongful or negligent act of a government employee acting in the scope of his or her official duties to file a claim with the government for reimbursement for that injury or damage.
Verber Salazer said that on Nov. 14, 2023, Flores' home was "wrongfully raided by local law enforcement after the intentional violation of a court order by members of the district attorney's office."
After being accused of misusing her district credit card, deputies seized two iPhones, an iPad, a MacBook Air laptop and documents belonging to Flores in the November search. Detectives also asked Alphabet (owner of Google) and Meta (owner of Facebook) for access to Flores' online accounts.
In April 2023, District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that a multi-agency investigation with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice into "any and all wrongdoing" at Stockton Unified had been underway for several months. He didn't single out Flores at the time.
That investigation was initiated from a state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team report which scrutinized a $7.3 million district contract approved without proper bidding in August 2021, and other alleged misconduct.
Flores was the lone vote against the contract, approved during the tenure of former Superintendent John Ramirez Jr. and former Board President Cecilia Mendez.
"Over the past several years, while millions of dollars and fraudulent practices have occurred in connection with the school district, AngelAnn has been working with federal investigations to prosecute those who are responsible," Verber Salazar said.
Since announcing the investigation on April 23, 2023, the federal agencies have remained silent on the case or the status.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Trustee AngelAnn Flores set to sue DA, sheriff following arrest
