Police called to Sacramento councilman’s house twice for issues regarding vehicle sales

Amid the controversy over whether Councilman Sean Loloee lives in the North Sacramento district he represents, questions have arisen about the vehicles parked there, and police records confirm two complaints were filed regarding them.

When The Sacramento Bee first visited the house in early June, a reporter observed at least a dozen vehicles there – in the front yard, driveway, and on the street. Some were missing license plates.

Edwin Montoya, who is registered to vote at Loloee’s house, is undergoing state training for auto repair, according to court records reviewed by The Bee for a criminal charge Montoya is facing.

Now, police records obtained by The Bee from a California Public Records Act request show that the police were called to the Hagginwood house twice regarding issues with vehicles being sold there. The first call was made in November 2019 — months before Loloee has said the family moved in.

Loloee is undergoing a city investigation into whether he lives in the district, as he is required to do by law, prompted by a Bee report. His wife owns a $1.4 million home in Granite Bay.

Karla Montoya, general manager for Loloee’s grocery stores, has told The Bee that she and her family are living at Loloee’s house with his permission. Loloee in written statements and interviews has given different timelines about when the Montoyas moved into the house.

On Nov. 14, 2019, around 2:45 p.m., someone called 911 to report a fight between the buyer and seller of a vehicle, according to the police document. That call took place about eight months after Loloee bought the house.

“The caller stated they purchased the vehicle 1hr ago and now there are engine problems, and the seller will not refund the purchase. The caller was advised the matter was a civil issue and was given the small claims court process,” the police document read. “No further police action taken.”

About a year later, on the morning of Oct. 27, 2020, a similar call took place.

“Caller advised the vehicle was taken some time in the last 4 hours,” the police document read. “Caller believed the previous owner who asked to purchase vehicle back took the vehicle. Previous owner had keys to vehicle. A police report was taken.”

Sacramento police on July 7 denied The Bee’s public records request for the full police reports, claiming they are investigatory and exempt from disclosure. The documents would provide more information than the short summaries department released, such as who officers interviewed.

Karla Montoya and Loloee did not return requests seeking comment.

City code prohibits people from running auto repair businesses or vehicle storage yards from residential properties.

Shortly after The Bee in June reported the vehicles were parked on the lawn of the property, someone moved them off the property. It is against city code to have inoperable vehicles at a residential property, or to park any vehicles a lawn or unpaved surface.

The city’s Code Compliance Division only takes action against properties that are the subject of a complaint. After The Bee’s report on Loloee, someone complained that the backyard contains several backyard structures built without permits. City inspectors visited the property and found unpermitted storage sheds and a covered patio, and issued violations. Loloee told The Bee last week he does not plan to get permits for the sheds or remove them. The code case remains open and unresolved.

Resident in auto repair training

Edwin Montoya, son of Loloee’s grocery store manager Karla Montoya, in April 2021 received a certificate of course completion as a level 2 inspector from the state Bureau of Automotive Repair, according to court records.

He was accused of rape in May 2021, and has pleaded not guilty as he awaits trial. Court documents for the case also list Montoya’s address as the Nogales Street house Loloee owns.

In June, Loloee told The Bee that he rented the house out to tenants for roughly four months at the end of 2021. After The Bee reported Edwin Montoya was registered to vote at the Hagginwood house as of October 2020, Loloee said he has let the Montoyas live with him after they came across hard times during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’ve allowed a close friend of mine of 16 years and his family to stay with me as my guests because they have fallen on hard times due to Covid,” Loloee said during an online press conference July 1, referring to Karla Montoya’s husband Augustine Montoya.

The 911 call regarding the vehicle sale occurred four months before the pandemic struck.

Sacramento city investigation

The police document also listed several others 911 calls to the house regarding loud noises, parties, and a suspicious person with a weapon. The police on July 31, 2021, arrested Marlithieo Jashawn Walls, 30, during a party at the house. He was charged with two counts of brandishing a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, and five counts of felon possession of a firearm. Walls was prohibited from owning guns because in 2011, at age 19, officers allegedly found a loaded gun and cannabis in his backpack at San Bruno community college.

Loloee through a public relations firm earlier this week told The Bee he was present at that party. Last week Loloee told Capital Public Radio that he was present at a different party where someone mistakenly thought they saw a gun, but the rest of the 911 calls, including those regarding vehicles, did not actually take place.

“That’s the only time that a call (to police) has been made since I’ve owned that house,” Loloee told Capital Public Radio, which first reported on the 911 calls.

Loloee is facing an investigation into his residence from a legal firm appointed by the city of Sacramento. The city is not sharing a timeline for when that will be completed or share the name of the firm. The council can remove Loloee from office if it determines he does not live in the district.