Augustin Telly, who worked briefly as chief of staff for new San Joaquin County Supervisor Mario Gardea, has resigned from his position amid felony charges involving the illegal sale of a firearm and soliciting an assault.
In a statement Friday, Gardea said the move — which appeared to be involuntary — was consistent with county policy.
“As your elected official, I hold myself and those who work for me to the highest standards,” the District 1 supervisor said. “While respecting due process, I believe in accountability.”
Telly — chief of staff to District 1 Supervisor Mario Gardea and a retired 26-year veteran of the Stockton Police Department — was arrested at his Stockton home Tuesday by agents who appeared to be wearing federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gear, according to ABC10.
On Thursday, the California attorney general’s office charged him with soliciting a “confidential reliable informant” to commit assault with a deadly weapon and with selling a gun without a license, a complaint shows.
The charging document identifies neither the informant nor the target of the alleged assault.
At the time, Deputy Attorney General Barton Bowers raised “public safety concerns” over Telly’s potential release from the San Joaquin County jail. In addition to the allegations of planning an assault, the prosecutor referred to charges in the complaint saying Telly sold a gun “without at least one party to the transaction being a licensed firearm dealer” sometime around Jan. 21.
But at a hearing in San Joaquin County Superior Court on Friday afternoon, Judge Lauren P. Thomasson granted bail, setting the bond $300,000.
As part of his conditional release, Telly, 54, was required to surrender his passport and will have to wear an ankle monitor. His lawyer, Melissa Adams, handed over Telly’s passport to the judge during the hearing.
No evidence has yet been presented against the longtime law enforcement officer in court.
“This individual does not have any criminal history,” Adams said of her client at Telly’s first court appearance Thursday.
In addition to being the top aide for Gardea, who was elected in November and sworn in earlier this month, Telly served as treasurer of the supervisor’s campaign, records show.
The new supervisor, a former Stockton firefighter, said in a statement he was “shocked and disappointed” by Telly’s arrest.
“My commitment to public service and earning your trust remains steadfast,” Gardea said Friday in announcing Telly’s resignation.