Jury Selection Begins in City Official's Molestation Trial

Jury selection got under way Wednesday for the trial of a San Diego city official accused of molesting a female relative nearly eight years ago, when she was 10 years old.

Mario Sierra, 48, faces a felony charge of committing a lewd act on a child. He could spend eight years in state prison if convicted, said prosecutor Fanny Yu.

Jury selection will continue tomorrow in the courtroom of Judge Jeffrey Fraser.

Sierra—who is free on bail—was named San Diego's "street czar" a year ago when the city of San Diego merged all of its street operations and appointed him director of the Transportation and Stormwater Department.

The city has placed Sierra on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the criminal case.

The alleged victim testified last May that Sierra molested her in the early part of 2004 as the two were on a couch watching a pornographic movie on television. Sierra was wearing only his underwear, she said.

The girl said Sierra moved her hand onto his genitals, and when she tried to move her hand away, he placed it back on his private parts for a longer time.

The girl said the molestation ended when Sierra picked up her hand and wiped it off against the couch.

"I didn't want to tell anybody," the alleged victim said. "I didn't want any chaos or drama."

The girl said she wanted to wait until she was 18 to tell anyone but ended up telling her mother what had happened as they watched an episode of "Oprah" in October 2010.

Sierra was arrested last Feb. 14.

-City News Service