Gil Armijo, former supervisorial aide to 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno, has filed a motion to withdraw a no contest plea he made on Nov. 16 in connection with perjury charges stemming from a DUI hearing.
On Dec. 2, Armijo filed the motion to withdraw and change his plea at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Anacapa Division. In the court document, Armijo claims his plea was “induced by duress and fraud” instigated by the prosecutors.
Armijo said in the document that he had insufficient time to deliberate and consider a plea bargain, and was therefore denied due process and equal protection discovery rights. Additionally, Armijo said he was “unaware of the direct consequences of the plea” because he suffers from a disabling mental condition and was unable to take his prescription medication for more than a week prior to Nov. 16, rendering him mentally incompetent at the time of the plea.
In an interview with the Sun, prosecutor Gerald Franklin said the motion “seems to have no merit.”
“The District Attorney plans to file a response and we believe the court will deny the motion,” he said.
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This article appears in Dec 10-17, 2009.