Shakir Khan has been released from jail and has retracted his resignation from the Lodi City Council. More details here.
Lodi City Council Member of District 4, Shakir Khan, was arrested Thursday morning on voter fraud charges, and was released Friday evening on his own recognizance on the condition that he continue to wear a GPS tracking device around his ankle. San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow told ABC10 News, “It’s a non-violent crime and we have limited space in our jails right now.”
Click here to read the article from ABC10 News on Shakir Khan’s release.
Surprisingly, Mr. Khan has retracted his resignation from the City Council. His attorney, Allen Sawyer, has threatened to sue the City of Lodi if they were to enforce the resignation. They both have said Khan was under duress and had the right to have an attorney present before anything was signed.
So let me make it clear he is not resigning. He did not resign and if the city of Lodi attempts to enforce that, I will bring them to federal court for the violations that I think that occurred
Allen Sawyer, Lawyer to Shakir Khan
Shakir Khan has stated that he will not resign from the Lodi City Council. He told ABC10 news the following:
I did not resign from the City Council seat. I did not authorize anybody to release any statement on my behalf and I think what happened was — it was totally wrong that the mayor went into the lobby, a booking room, and just, under the pressure, asked me to resign. It was wrong.
Shakir Khan on Mayor Hothi
The resignation letter was hand-written at the courthouse by Mayor Mikey Hothi the day Khan was arrested. It was stamped and dated by the Lodi City Clerk, and the City of Lodi’s website states that the District 4 seat is now empty.
Mr. Khan maintains his innocence and claims these are all false allegations. He asks the community to hold judgment and to let the courts decide.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department held a lengthy press conference Thursday afternoon highlighting the 3+ year investigation. Photos, video, and witness testimonials appeared to seal Mr. Khan’s fate. Now the future of Lodi remains unclear.
Click here to read the Shakir Khan criminal investigation timeline.