Gonzalez-Buttner trial begins Monday
BRAWLEY — The jury trial of Imperial County Board of Education Trustee Annette Gonzalez-Buttner are set to begin Monday.
Opening statements will be delivered at 10:30 a.m. at the Brawley Superior Court in the long- delayed case that will decide, among other things, whether Gonzalez-Buttner lied about her residency when she ran for her board seat.
There are 28 possible witnesses, including Debra Porter, retired Imperial County registrar of voters, and Todd Finnell, Imperial County Office of Education superintendent.
The trial is expected to go a week or possibly two. Superior Court Judge Christopher Plourd will preside.
Gonzalez-Buttner, an Imperial Valley College Area 1 Trustee, is facing four felony charges, filed by the county District Attorney’s Office.
In the first count, Gonzalez-Buttner is charged with perjury for allegedly having lied about living in the county, specifically in Calexico, when she signed her candidacy declaration on July 25, 2017.
The second count is tied to the same alleged act and charges a violation of state election law.
The third count is a grand theft charge. The DA’s argument here is that if Gonzalez-Buttner did in fact gain her seat on the ICOE board under false pretenses, then any stipends and health insurance coverage she has received as a result represent stolen property. Because the amount would exceed $950, the allegation falls in the realm of a felony.
The fourth count is another perjury charge. In this case, Gonzalez-Buttner is accused of completing a California driver’s license application in November 2017 using a false address.
Gonzalez-Buttner has entered a plea of not guilty for all four charges.
County Deputy District Attorney Anthony Valente is prosecuting, while attorney Jill Cremeans is representing Gonzalez-Buttner.