Over the holiday season, newly-elected Tustin City Councilmember Lee Fink pled guilty to battery after an incident where he was filmed on camera shoving and shouting at an elderly man.

Fink was sentenced to one year of probation on Dec. 23, according to case documents from the Orange County Superior Court.

D.A. officials didn’t put out any press release or statement on the case. 

The incident occurred on May 18, 2024, during the Old Town Tustin Home and Garden Tour. 

Fink stated his behavior was “unfitting for anyone” — especially since he was running for office at the time.

“I was wrong,” Fink wrote in a statement sent to Voice of OC. “I do not mean to excuse my actions in any way, but I saw someone scolding my wife and 1-year-old daughter, who were both upset, and I overreacted. I can’t defend what happened; I can only try to do better.”

Although the incident occurred in May, the video didn’t come to light until October — just ahead of the November elections. 

Fink was narrowly elected to the Tustin City Council in November’s general election. He won the District 1 council seat with 53% “yes” votes — only 324 votes more than his opponent.

“I apologize to that individual and the homeowners involved,” Fink said. “I want to also apologize to my supporters, who I’ve let down. And I want to apologize to the people of Tustin whose support I seek.”

Although the Orange County District Attorney’s office often issues press releases when elected officials commit a crime — like the former Stanton City Councilmember who’s in hot water this week for lying on nomination paperwork — no advisory was issued in this case.

OCDA spokesperson Kimberly Edds said that’s because Fink wasn’t an elected official at the time of the crime.

“​​The reason I began this campaign is to make Tustin a better place,” Fink said. “I failed to do so on that day, but I will do better every day from now on.”

Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.