Month: September 2010

The county has apparently received funding under the grant since 1994.  “It’s based on performance,” said Lt. Dan Stroski an investigator with the DA’s office that heads up the program, a few years back. “The Fraud Assessment Commission likes the job we are doing.”

Sacramento Police Officer Roger Kinney told the court that on March 19th he was called by dispatch to a large fight involving 25 to 40 people.  He approached James Hopkins and his 16-year-old bother Reece (pronounced Ree-cy) and found both of them severely injured.

This week, the DA’s office has sought to address that apparent shortcoming by announcing additional witnesses, including James and Reece Hopkins, who were the supposed victims of what the DA’s office is calling a vicious gang attack in Memorial Park this March.

However, from the start Mr. Purtell argued that he lacked the resources and apparently even the physical vitality, at age 82, to effectively perform the role he had been assigned to.

So, three individuals were arrested transporting medical marijuana to a dispensary.  They all have valid 215 medical marijuana cards.  Several people have told the Vanguard that in any other county there would have been no arrest.

On the other hand, the death penalty cases also expose the most biases in the system.  For instance, the difference between whites and blacks receiving death sentences is far greater than the white versus black discrepancy in the overall criminal justice system.

Back in June, Jim Smith acknowledged the problematic nature of simply re-printing press releases.  Mr. Smith writes, “Years and years ago, The Democrat — like many other newspapers — had a policy of not publishing a “press release” from any public agency until it had been “fact checked.” Preferably, the release was taken and rewritten with appropriate attribution provided, as well as reviewed for background information with a trip to the agency, or office, in question if necessary.”