A San Diego Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the daughter of Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas to stay at least 100 yards away from three victims she allegedly battered in February.
The San Diego District Attorney’s Office filed three misdemeanor battery charges against Sara Hice, 44, for allegedly battering two minors and Brenda Alvarado-Arellano on Feb. 5.
Hice faces a maximum of one year and six months in a local jail if convicted on all three counts. At a readiness conference Wednesday Deputy District Attorney Kareem Salem requested the stay-away order. He also asked the judge to protect the identities of the minors listed in the complaint.
Salem said he could not comment for this story to protect the integrity of the prosecution since facts have not been revealed in court.
Chula Vista Police Capt. Lon Turner said the Police Department responded to a call for service in February in which there was an argument that escalated between Hice and the three victims that resulted in “unlawful” touching by Hice.
Details of the incident and the extent of the injuries to the victims remain unclear but Turner said Hice had accused one of the victims of vandalizing a garage door with spray paint before the argument occurred.
Turner did not know if the garage door was on Hice’s property.
Turner described Hice’s relationship to the victims as “neighbors or acquintances.”
Hice was not arrested because she was not present when officers arrived.
The District Attorney’s Office sent Hice a notification letter to inform her of the charges and that she must appear in court. She was released on her own recognizance.
The Chula Vista Police Department conducted its own two-day investigation before handing the case over to the District Attorney’s Office.
“This case was submitted to the District Attorney’s Office by the Chula Vista Police Department for our review,” said
Tanya Sierra, public affairs officer for the district attorney. “After review, a decision was made to issue criminal charges.”
Turner said as part of the department’s investigation they interviewed the mayor, who was a witness on the scene.
Because it is a criminal investigation Turner said he could not share details of the investigation.
Casillas Salas declined to comment, characterizing the issue as a family matter.
A readiness conference is scheduled May 10 with a jury trial set for June 22.
Attorney William Daley, who represents Hice, said he needed to get more information from the prosecutor to get a better understanding of the case.
