The judge in any trial instructs the jury members to study the testimony of the witnesses and discern which witnesses are credible. The judge also admonishes the jury to decide whether or not the lawyers are telling the truth.
Following the candidates” forum May 4 at Hidden Valley Country Club, I interviewed Sandy Bayles, a member of the jury for the Dinius trial. She has continued to separate fact from fiction during campaign candidates” nights.
Bayles said she could not believe Hopkins took the case to trial.
Bayles said she has felt insulted by Jon Hopkins” assessment of the jury during the Dinius trial, and how Jon Hopkins has defended his editorial concerning the “drunken” sailor.
Both Bayles, myself and a friend, who were in the courtroom, remember Judge Michael Byrne publicly scolding Hopkins for writing the letter.
Bayles remembers that members of the jury who admitted to the judge that they had read that editorial were excused by Judge Byrne.
Bayles recalled boating laws that state powerboats shall yield the right of way to sailboats. Powerboats are required to travel at safe speeds.
Bayles said it was wrong that Perdock was allowed to move his own boat. Two people should have stayed with the boat. Perdock returned with insurance adjusters to look at the boat to assess damages.
Perdock had the key to the storage unit where his blood sample was stored. Perdock had access to the RIMS computer system that logs persons interviewed for the investigation. Defense Attorney Victor Haltom proved that Perdock accessed this system.
Bayles said she feels Lyn Thornton and her family got no justice. If anyone should have been put on trial it should have been Russell Perdock, Bismarck Dinius and the owner of the sailboat, Mark Weber.
The jury has the last say, after disseminating truth from fiction, fact from opinion.
We, the voters, must also disseminate truth from lies. Just because Sheriff Rod Mitchell states he is proud of the investigation done concerning the infamous boating accident, does not make the investigation a good investigation. Just because Jon Hopkins states his letter to the editor was justified, does not make it so.
We, as voters, must be like jury members and remember that opinions are not facts. We must decide who is telling the truth and cast our vote for the truth.
Sandy Bayles continues to attend candidates” forums. She still has her six books of notes she took during the Dinius Trial. She does not forget.
Voters in Lake County will not forget either. Jury members have the last say in trials. Voters will have the last say in this coming election.
Joan Moss
Kelseyville
