Fathers & Families founder charged in child sexual abuse case held without bail pending hearing

Samuel "Sammy" Nunez, founder and former director of Fathers & Families of San Joaquin, will continue to be held at the San Joaquin County Jail without bail pending a hearing scheduled for next month.

Nunez was arrested last week on suspicion of sexually abusing a child identified by authorities as a family member over the course of several years. A judge granted a request by the defense at a bail hearing Friday to push out the already-continued arraignment another two weeks.

Friday's bail hearing was brief, with the defense requesting Nunez's arraignment be continued in mid June. The defense also said it would file a motion Friday afternoon to "give us notice and an opportunity" to address any media requests.

A judge at the Manteca branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court initially granted the prosecution's request at an arraignment hearing Tuesday to hold Nunez in jail without bail pending trial on the grounds the defendant was a safety risk to both the public and victim. Bail in the case was previously set at $2 million.

However, because Nunez initially indicated he would retain his own counsel before then requesting to be assigned a public defender later during Tuesday's hearing, the judge scheduled another bail hearing for Friday morning in Stockton.

A criminal protective ordered was granted Tuesday stipulating neither Nunez and any associates will have any contact with the victim or come within 100 yards of the victim.

Nunez was arrested May 21 on suspicion of continuous sexual abuse of a child, oral copulation of a victim under the age of 10 and sexual penetration with a foreign object on a victim who was unable to give consent.

The well-known community figure was taken into custody following an unspecified traffic stop in the 1700 block of Sacchetti Circle in Stockton by Manteca police detectives, department spokesman Sgt. Gregg Beall said. He was booked on a Ramey warrant — a warrant issued by a judge prior to charges being filed based on available evidence — at the San Joaquin County Jail.

The initial investigation in this case was launched last month by the Manteca Police Department. Court documents allege that Nunez, 46, began sexually abusing the victim when they were 8 years old in 2001 and continued until 2006 when the child was 12.

The Stockton Record will not use identifying information about the victim to protect the victim's privacy.

The criminal complaint filed in the case lists three felony counts — two counts of lewd acts upon a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child — and criminal enhancements due to Nunez having been previously convicted of a "serious felony" and is considered a "repeat offender." He was convicted in the 1990s in Santa Clara County for shooting at a dwelling or vehicle, court documents say.

Nunez founded Fathers & Families with his then-wife in 2006. The group offers guidance to at-risk youths, parenting instruction, gang intervention and leadership development programs.

Following Nunez's arrest, the nonprofit organization announced on social media that its founder was no longer employed by the organization while reiterating a commitment to pursuing the mission of FFSJ.

"We do want to reiterate that we do not support the alleged and abhorrent actions of our former executive director," FFSJ officials said. "What we do know is that our core beliefs remain the same — all life is sacred, every person has intrinsic worth, and together we can be instruments of peace."

The organization still has yet to directly address whether Fathers & Families ever received abuse complaints of any kind in connection with Nunez during his tenure.

Authorities say police are also investigating whether there may be additional victims.

"It's definitely something we're looking into," Beall said Monday. He added that as of Monday afternoon no other victims had been identified and that the Manteca Police Department would release any additional information once it becomes available.

Nunez did not enter a plea into the record Tuesday or Friday. He is scheduled to be back in court on June 17 in Stockton.

The judge in the case is Ronald Northup, and the prosecution is being led by S.J. County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Robert Martinelli.

Record reporter Cassie Dickman covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. She can be reached at cdickman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byCassieDickman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Fathers & Families founder charged in child sexual abuse case held without bail pending hearing

___

(c)2021 The Record (Stockton, Calif.)

Visit The Record (Stockton, Calif.) at www.recordnet.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.