Renteria out of jail; will he stay in mayor race?

Centro Civico Mexicano director John Renteria was released from jail Thursday, leaving open the possibility that he could continue his bid for Salt Lake City mayor.

Renteria was jailed two weeks ago after admitting he violated his probation from a previous traffic conviction.

He had pleaded guilty in November 2005 to attempted failure to stop at an officer's command, driving a car with incorrectly positioned plates and failure to obey a traffic-control device, all misdemeanors. The sentence for those convictions was a year in jail, but 3rd District Judge Sheila McCleve suspended that sentence in favor of probation.

He landed in jail June 8 after he told the judge he drank alcohol in violation of his probation and had twice driven on a revoked license. McCleve sentenced him to jail for a year, but at a review hearing Thursday attended by more than a dozen Renteria supporters she agreed to release him and place him on an ankle-monitoring system.

That system monitors his whereabouts to ensure he stays inside his home until he reports to Adult Parole and Probation, letting them know the times and reasons he hopes to be allowed to leave the house. The judge would then decide how much freedom to grant him. "It would probably be more limited than he imagines," McCleve said.

Renteria wants to continue running Centro Civico, an attorney representing him said Thursday. McCleve noted that could be difficult because he will likely be under tight restrictions on the hours he can work, and the center "is not a 9-to-5 regular type of situation."

Archie Archuleta, co-chair of the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, said he hasn't lost faith in Renteria's leadership abilities.

"Everybody has their foibles and everybody has their weaknesses," he said. "Losing confidence is not where I stand."

After the hearing, friends and family said they were uncertain of Renteria's plans regarding the mayor's race. The ankle-monitoring system would likely make it difficult for him to spend much time campaigning.

Renteria has appeared frail and somewhat frightened at recent court appearances. Supporters say he has been on a hunger strike since entering jail. At a hearing Monday, his attorney Patrick Corum told the judge, "I don't think he's doing very well, quite frankly. He's lost a lot of weight."

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Contributing: Rebecca Palmer

E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com