SANTA ROSA (AP) — A Northern California politician who was accused of being a peeping Tom has been acquitted.

A jury ruled Monday afternoon that Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo was not guilty of attempting to peek into his neighbor’s home, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

Carrillo, the 5th District supervisor, had been accused of peeking into the woman’s apartment on July 13, which is a misdemeanor.

Last week, Carrillo, 33, took the witness stand and testified that he had visited the neighbor in the middle of the night wearing only his socks and underwear but that he never looked into her windows.

He blamed his ego and drunkenness for the bizarre incident and admitted he hoped to have drinks and sex with her.

The woman herself testified that she was awakened by the sound of rustling blinds at her bedroom window and that she looked out to see Carrillo standing outside.

The verdict came shortly after the jury had said it could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether Carrillo actually looked into the woman’s apartment, so the judge ruled that the panel could consider the lesser charge of attempted peeking, which carries a maximum sentence of three months.

Before the incident, Carrillo had been considered a rising star in California’s Democratic Party.

“I never meant any harm,” Carrillo told reporters. “I made a terrible mistake. A terrible lapse of judgment.”