Politics, I am finding out, can be a dirty and expensive business. Expensive, not just in money, but expensive in human toll ? like on my family and our good name. False and disgusting accusations made against me could and should have been quickly looked into and discharged by Sheriff Mitchell as a matter of procedure and common decency. That he has allowed these accusations to languish for more than three months, in the midst of campaigning for sheriff, in my opinion is unethical and politically motivated.
I am a candidate for sheriff, a public office. Sheriff Mitchell”s actions are an abuse of my rights to run a campaign and essentially deny the rights of Lake County citizens to a free and fair election. For these reasons I want to set the record straight and share with you the facts and circumstances surrounding the accusations.
To begin, I have been falsely accused of excessive force, gender profiling and sexual battery. The report that would quickly clear me of these false accusations is a matter of public record. The sheriff has access to this report and other details that would clear me. Now I will share that information with you.
On Dec. 21, 2008, one of my fellow deputies and I received a call to respond to a domestic dispute. A man called sheriff”s dispatch and reported his wife was beating him. We arrived and after an investigation, we arrested his wife for domestic violence. The other deputy transported the woman to jail while I stayed behind and took the report.
In January, while campaigning for sheriff, the woman I arrested in December of 2008 filed a complaint with the sheriff”s office alleging excessive force, gender profiling and sexual battery. This is not the first time she has done something like this. She had previously alleged that another deputy had sexually assaulted her, an allegation that was quickly deemed unfounded.
In fact, I could not have done what was alleged. I was never alone with my accuser; her husband and/or my fellow deputy were there during my entire contact with her. The other deputy transported her to jail and booked her. She did not complain or make any allegation to anyone at the time of her arrest. Her booking picture, also a matter of public record, belies her allegation that she was beaten and bleeding from the face when she arrived at the jail.
The procedure for resolving complaints like this is for the sheriff to order an investigation and in short order render a decision. That is the standard ? unless the accused deputy is running against him for sheriff. Sheriff Mitchell had all of the information provided here at his fingertips when he received the complaint. He allowed false allegations to sit for months while my accuser made outrageous public accusations, also a matter of public record, all the while asking people not to vote for me. Although Sheriff Mitchell has ordered me not to talk, I must answer these accusations to save my good name and the dignity of my wife and son.
I entered this race with high hopes, new ideas and a desire to do the right thing for the citizens of Lake County as well as for my fellow officers. None of that has changed. Let me tell you from my heart I will never do to a fellow citizen or deputy what has been done to me.
In closing, I hope Sheriff Mitchell finds the decency to conclude his so-called investigation before the June 8 election. Whether or not he does, Sheriff Mitchell”s actions should be seen for what I believe they are ? another example in a long series of failed decision making and leadership. Please contact me at (707) 295-6289 if you have any questions.
Francisco Rivero is a current member of the Lake County Sheriff”s Department and a candidate for sheriff.
