Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo will remain in rehab for at least a few more weeks, allowing the embattled 5th District representative to complete the first phase of an ongoing alcohol treatment program, his defense attorney Chris Andrian said Saturday.
Carrillo checked into an out-of-county facility following his arrest July 13 in his west Santa Rosa neighborhood on suspicion of prowling and burglary. He is suspected of trying to enter a young woman's home through her bedroom window and was wearing only underwear and socks when he was arrested.
His monthlong rehab stint initially was projected to end Monday. He'd been penciled in to return to work Wednesday, said Susan Upchurch, his district director.
But Andrian said the 32-year-old, who on Tuesday will miss his third Board of Supervisors meeting, isn't ready to return to work.
There is no specific timetable for his return, which hinges on when his doctors believe Carrillo has acquired the skills he'll need to successfully deal with his alcoholism, Andrian said.
"He is still in phase one of their program, which means he is not coming out in the next few days," his attorney said. "He's remaining until he completes this phase ... they are working on a plan for him to re-enter the world at some point hopefully in the near future."
Andrian met with Carrillo, who represents west Sonoma County, for about three hours Friday afternoon at the center. He declined to say where the center is located, citing a facility requirement of secrecy to avoid media attention.
They had "heartfelt conversations," he said, discussing his progress with the treatment program and his next steps, including an outpatient treatment program he'll enter once back in Sonoma County.
They also discussed the status of his criminal case and his possible return to public life after his time in seclusion. Andrian said Carrillo is aware of public reaction to the incidents surrounding his arrest and of political unrest in his district. But the attorney said Carrillo's focus has to be on his recovery and it is too early for him to make decisions about his political future.
"He's committed to getting healthy and to be in a position to make the right choices. He knows everybody's anxious ... about an empty (supervisor's) seat. Sometimes in life we've got to be patient ... give (him) a chance to get through a difficult time and make a choice," Andrian said.
"When he walks out that day he's going to have to face his case, face his career, he's going to have to face all those things," he said.
Andrian's discussions with Carrillo on Friday included private attorney-client conversations, the lawyer said. Carrillo also met with his advisers, including former west county Supervisor Eric Koenigshofer.
Koenigshofer has not returned calls seeking comment about Carrillo and said to a reporter Thursday that he would not discuss the subject.
Friday was the first time the defense attorney and client had met since Carrillo's July 18 court hearing, Andrian said.
That morning the supervisor looked exhausted and red-eyed as he appeared before a judge while the prosecution asked for more time to determine what, if any, charges would be filed. Santa Rosa police arrested Carrillo on suspicion of misdemeanor prowling and felony burglary believing he intended to commit a sexual assault.
"He looks significantly better than when I saw him in court," said Andrian, describing Carrillo now as looking healthy, strong and clear-eyed.
Mentally, Carrillo remained "humbled, humiliated and embarrassed by his conduct," Andrian said.
The July 13 incident was Carrillo's second high-profile brush with the law in nine months. Last Labor Day weekend, the supervisor was arrested in connection with a fight outside a San Diego bar.
Charges in the San Diego incident were later dropped, but Carrillo's advisers acknowledged in July that alcohol had played a role in the fight.
In July's incident, Carrillo's female neighbor called 911 twice, first at about 3:40 a.m., saying a shirtless man had been trying to get into her bedroom window, according to police accounts. Ten minutes later, she called to say a man had knocked on her front door, calling out that he was a neighbor before he ran off.
An officer found Carrillo nearby in his underwear, holding a cellphone.
Carrillo's explanations regarding his actions didn't make sense, police said. Investigators said they believed he may have intended a sexual assault, conduct they felt justified a felony burglary charge.
The political fallout from his arrest has been severe for the second-term supervisor, who had been a rising Latino star in the state Democratic Party. His fellow supervisors publicly condemned Carrillo's behavior. He has been passed over for key county leadership posts, and opponents have threatened a recall if he doesn't resign.
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