On the surface it seems to be an easy case and relatively straightforward.  On May 1, 2011, Richard Rodriguez broke into the storage closet in an inhabited residence.

According to Deputy District Attorney Robin Johnson, he went in there with the intent to steal, however, the burglary was thwarted before he had the chance to take anything.  The light went on outside, he ran off and was subsequently arrested and charged with first degree burglary.

Deputy Darrel Johnson told KCRA that during a meeting with a number of deputies and other high-ranking officials in the Yolo County Sheriff's Department in September of 2011, the Sheriff singled him out using possibly racially inflammatory names such as "gravy" and "dark one."

Last week Judge Timothy Fall granted a Pitchess motion in a co-defendant case involving the Davis Police Department.  Pitchess is a motion that grants discovery of citizen complaints against law enforcement officers, and the disciplinary records concerning the officers' records in terms of propensity to commit acts of violence or other problems.

To obtain peace officer personnel records, a defendant need only make a "good cause" showing by affidavit, setting forth the materiality of the information sought and an allegation about the governmental agency identified in the request.