Life & Times Blog - Blog Archive - OC Sheriff’s Dramatic Fall

google
yahoo
bing

Life & Times airs weeknights at
7:00 PM on KCET

Tues. – Thurs. at
7:00 PM on KCET-HD

This blog is fully moderated: Moderation Explained; Terms of Use

Recent Posts: Life & Times Says Goodbye; The Mayor Gets His Schools; Nuclear Biomedical Waste Buried in Brentwood; Waiting for Justice: Executions on Hold; Lethal Plastics–Visible and Invisible; Fighting a War Remotely

: About L&T blogs

Engage, Interact, Debate with Life & Times RSS

About the Story: He served for three decades in OC law enforcement and was celebrated as a rising star. Now, OC Sheriff Mike Carona is facing corruption charges that could put him behind bars. Roger Cooper looks at the events that have gripped Orange County ever since federal indictments against their top cop were handed down earlier this month. (TRT: 8:13)

: ABC7.com’s “O.C. Sheriff, Wife, Mistress Plead Not Guilty” Article; AOCDS; The California Majority Report’s “Orange County Sheriff Carona to Wear Orange?” Article; KNBC.com’s “OC Blog: Sheriff Carona” Article; Los Angeles Times’ “DA Calls on Carona to Take a Leave of Absence” Blog; OC Register’s “Sheriff Mike Carona Indicted on Corruption Charges” Blog; The OC Sheriff Blog; OC Weekly’s “Laughing His Way to Victory?” Article; OCGov.com; Orange County Sheriff’s Department; Red County’s “AD73 Watch: Sheriff Carona Endorses Diane Harkey” Blog; WhittierDailyNews.com’s “OC Sheriff Carona Indicted on U.S. Corruption Charges” Article; Tags: Crime, Government, Law, Orange County, Police, Prison

OC Sheriff’s Dramatic Fall

Publish date: November 13, 2007
Last updated: May 18, 2009

Reporter's NOTES

Roger Cooper
It’s hard to imagine a story that could get more people talking in Orange County than the indictment of the county’s three-term sheriff, Mike Carona, on federal corruption charges—charges that Carona strongly denies. In the past, Carona had been considered a rising star in Republican politics, headed straight for higher office.

Now, it is interesting to watch various Orange County leaders, many of whom have called Carona friend, react to the many allegations that are contained in the indictment and the sight of the sheriff sitting handcuffed in court. These will be challenging weeks ahead as the county grapples with whether or not Carona should continue on leave or resign as he awaits trial.

Insider Viewpoints

Never mind that Sheriff Mike Carona has blundered, tripped and—let’s be honest—screwed his way through scandal after embarrassing scandal. Never mind that he promised he’d relinquish control of the powerful, $500-million-a-year agency after two terms…

Knowing that, on behalf of OC’s journalistic community, I make this plea: Please re-elect Mike Carona and discourage your family and friends from even considering challengers Ralph Martin (RalphMartinforOCSheriff.org), Bill Hunt (BillHuntforSheriff.com) and Bob Alcaraz (BobAlcarazforOCSheriff.com). They’re honest guys who’d likely return the sheriff’s department to an agency that doesn’t create crimes but solves them.

Carona is guaranteed controversy, usually involving the three key elements of a successful news story—sex, money and power. His departure would rob us of future stories about bribery, hookers, porn stars, incest, Vegas mob characters, guns and badges for friends, FBI raids, fake charities, gang rapes, illegal contributions, breakfasts with felons, bail-bond schemes, political spying, falsified records, money laundering, media intimidation, convoluted lies, patronage, secret financial deals and unstable reserve deputies who go crazy on golf courses with handguns…

--Excerpt taken from OC Weekly’s “Laughing His Way to Victory?” Article by R. Scott Moxley

The shock is starting to wear off, but the awe is still apparent. Watching the sheriff sit in a federal courtroom—as a defendant—was one of the most bizarre moments in TV newsdom. Behind him sat two other defendants.

Drug dealers, we surmised. After the brief hearing, we waited to see if he was wearing handcuffs.

We waited until he stood up, and then we heard the undeniable clanking of chains. “Ohhh,” came the hushed response from the reporters in the audience...

This has been tough. I've known Carona since he was elected nine years ago.

There have been dozens of interviews, and over those years, we have made small talk about his wife and his son. Like most folks, I initially couldn't comprehend the allegations--in spite of the headlines that have appeared previously in the newspapers...

So here is my challenge to you. Search the internet and read the entire federal indictment—it's out there. It must be absorbed page by page for a true reading of this case. Only then will you come to your own conclusion.

--Excerpt taken from KNBC.com’s “OC Blog: Sheriff Carona” Article by Vikki Vargas

	* Required
* First Name:		* Last Name:
* City:		* State:
* Email:		* Screen Name:	(will appear on post)
* Comment:
	By submitting a comment I have read and agree to KCET's Terms of Use for Online Forums.