By Beverly Bocciardi
The jury seems to be in ? albeit a jury of would-be lawyers, self-proclaimed maritime law specialists, absentee witnesses, disgruntled citizens, other all-knowing persons. Visit any coffee shop, cafe, or any other place where people gather, and you can see that facts in the Dinius case do not matter at all.
Some of the citizenry has gone so far as to assert, with certainty, that the district attorney is involved in a cover-up of facts, that the sheriff”s department is involved in a cover-up. Of course, there is no proof of this, but that doesn”t seem to matter with some of our citizens.
What is happening in this community when the judicial system is so scorned? Why is it that anyone in authority is automatically suspect? Jealousy? I have no idea, but I deplore this notion and respect our laws and judicial system. It may not be perfect, but it is the only one we have.
What if Captain Perdock were a man with previous DUIs and Bismarck Dinius were a law enforcement individual? Would the citizens of this community have different views on this case? Sadly, I believe this to be true.
The bottom line here is that Captain Perdock is not on trial. True, this was a tragic accident and our hearts go out to the affected families ? all of them, including that of Captain Perdock. And yes, Captain Perdock is a good man, a good family man, not an ogre that the would-be jurors try to make him out to be.
Wake up, Lake County! Let our courts of law handle legal matters.
Beverly Bocciardi
Clearlake
