iePolitics: San Bernardino County to major U.S. Corporation (Google): Go away!

The news of this unbelievable episode was presented to me a couple weeks ago and I wasn’t able to gather more details until this weekend.
It looks like a major U.S. corporation recently embarked on a mission to San Bernardino County.
That mission? Establish a campus in the Victor Valley region of the [...]

Sheriff’s Academy Languishing

For the first time in nearly a decade, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is not fielding a class at its academy in Devore.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Basic Training Academy for more than 30 years has schooled its own recruits [...]

Grants to Fund County Drug Courts

San Bernardino County Superior Court will utilize two grants totaling $1,099,830 to fund its drug court operations.
Court officials, under the direction of presiding judge James M. McGuire, will use one grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and another Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant [...]

Sheriff Hopefuls Offer Differing Law Enforcement Philosophieschallenger,

SAN BERNARDINO— The two declared candidates for sheriff in next year’s election faced off October 7 in a forum sponsored by the Safety Employees Benefit Association, the union representing the sheriff’s department’s deputies.
Sheriff Rod Hoops, the incumbent, like his challenger, deputy Mark Averbeck, has [...]

County Extends Contract with Corruption Figure’s Firm

The county has extended by one year the contract it has with its Sacramento lobbyist, Platinum Advisors, despite a scandal involving the company and its simultaneous representation of the county and a company from whom the county purchased the Adelanto jail for $31.2 million in 2005.
After whispers of the double [...]

Anti-corruption Group Discusses Strategy

The new organization dedicated to rooting out political corruption in San Bernardino County held its first public meeting on October 6 in Redlands. The meeting was relocated at the last minute when the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA) reneged on its agreement to allow the group to use its [...]

Intrigue, Mystery Attend Former Sheriff’s Sergeant’s Case

Intrigue and mystery surround a case involving a former San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department sergeant who was placed on administrative leave earlier this year in the aftermath of allegations that he had sexual relations with an underage girl.
The sergeant has now resigned and the department has handed the case [...]

Public Defender Seeking Volunteers

San Bernardino County Public Defender Doreen Boxer this week moved to facilitate efforts of the public inclined to volunteer time to assist with the legal defense of those unable to pay for it.
The public defender’s office is that portion of county government which is chartered to provide legal [...]

iePolitics: Turmoil in SB County Public Defender operation

Apparently, there is rising discontent among veteran attorneys in the Office of the San Bernardino County Public Defender.
Sources inside the department tell iePolitics that one of the highly talented attorneys in the office who recently won an acquittal on a murder case is now on administrative leave. The sources also say [...]

Suspect whose beating by San Bernardino police was caught on videotape is released from custody

SAN BERNARDINO – The barbershop owner who was the subject of a videotaped beating by San Bernardino Police Department officers was released from custody Friday, according to the lawyer who is representing his longtime girlfriend. Darren Johnson, 43, who was struck repeatedly with a baton while being arrested at a [...]

Deputy declares intention to run for San Bernardino County Sheriff

A 24-year San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy has announced his candidacy for sheriff in the June 2010 election.
Mark Averbeck, 47, of Redlands, will appear at a question-and-answer session sponsored by the Safety Employees Benefit Association, the union representing county law enforcement employees, at 6 p.m. Oct. 7 at the San Bernardino [...]

Operation Phoenix and ACORN, sitting in a tree

Earlier this week, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was caught on video trying to help set up a brothel for underage immigrant girls (thirteen 13-15 year olds) in San Bernardino where the profits would go to support the political career of an aspiring politician. In [...]

Return of Stout a good thing?

[ As Mike Ramos cleans the house that this man helped to build, we suspect that his expressed interest in running again is little more than an advance defense against an investigation of him.  Follow Stout at the iePolitics blog.  The military- and prison-industrial complexes of this [...]

Closing arguments resume Thursday in deputy’s extortion trial

Closing arguments are scheduled to resume Thursday afternoon in the re-trial for a former Sheriff’s deputy accused of attempting to extort a San Manuel tribal member.
Deputy District Attorney William Lee already delivered his arguments to the jury Tuesday the trial for 31-year-old John Laurent in San Bernardino Superior Court. However, [...]

Former Corrupt San Bernardino County DA says he may run against Ramos

Former San Bernardino County District Attorney Dennis Stout announced Wednesday that he is considering running for his old job in 2010 — challenging District Attorney Mike Ramos, who defeated him in 2002.
Stout, who served as the county’s top prosecutor for eight years, said he believes political corruption is worse than [...]

Failure to disclose property ownership results in Penrod getting warning letter from FPPC

Former San Bernardino County Sheriff Gary Penrod failed to disclose, over a period of several years, ownership of several properties, a violation of the Political Reform Act, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission.Penrod, who retired in January after serving 14 years as the county’s top cop, received a [...]

Deputy’s gun used in Ontario double slaying, suicide

A service weapon belonging to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy was used in Saturday’s double slaying of a mother and son by a parolee who then shot himself to death, authorities confirmed Monday.
Sheriff’s officials said the details of how a parolee managed to acquire Deputy Andrew Gressley’s department-issued Glock [...]

Trial date postponed in sheriff’s deputy’s assault case

INDIO — An off-duty San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy accused of assaulting a tow-druck driver with a handgun appeared in court this morning, and his trial date was postponed more than two months.
Richard Charles Heverly, of La Verne, is now set to stand trial Oct. 28 in Indio Superior Court [...]

SanBernardinoCity: Sheriff Hoops Fouls San Bernardino

It was requested of this reporter to pay a visit to the Arden Guthrie area of San Bernardino by some concerned residents on August 7th of 2009. There were reports that S.M.A.S.H. team was gearing up at a local Target parking lot and the residents were concerned that, due to complaints [...]

State to join San Bernardino County corruption probe

The state attorney general’s office will join an expanding probe of political corruption in San Bernardino County centered largely on the past activities of the assessor’s office, officials said Monday.
So far the investigation has led to the arrest of former Assessor Bill Postmus and four former employees in his office.
Allegations [...]

Postmus files claim against county

SAN BERNARDINO – Former Assessor Bill Postmus filed a claim against San Bernardino County on Wednesday, alleging, among other things, civil rights violations, breach of contract and malicious prosecution related to criminal and civil cases pending against him.Postmus, 38, who resigned from his elected office on Feb. 13 amid [...]

Airman shot by deputy settles lawsuit with San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County has tentatively agreed to pay $1.5 million to a U.S. Air Force serviceman who was unarmed when a sheriff’s deputy shot him following a high-speed chase three years ago, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The agreement between the county’s attorneys and Elio Carrion comes just days before the two parties [...]

Sheriff’s deputy being investigated following DUI arrest

A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Sunday on suspicion of drunken driving in Hesperia.
Deputy Charles Lovell, who works at one of the department’s jail sites, was held at the sheriff’s Hesperia station and released with a citation, said sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Phelps.
Lovell was driving near the intersection of [...]

Racial hate group activity on increase in region

Fueled by anger over the economy, immigration and the election of President Barack Obama, white supremacists have been increasing in number in the Inland region and throughout California during the past year, local and national experts say.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate activity, reports 84 known hate [...]

Jerry Eaves case backfires on top prosecutor

Disgraced former
District Attorney
Dennis Stout

While local and federal authorities were investigating Supervisor Jerry Eaves in 2000, the District Attorney’s Office came under fire for top officials’ interactions with a political opponent of the embattled county supervisor.San Bernardino County District Attorney Dennis Stout and two of his top lieutenants discussed their [...]

Truth & consequences

Investigators bold enough to take on corruption in San Bernardino County have themselves seldom escaped controversy.Some have been criticized by the same leaders who hired them. For others, the stakes have been even higher.
Former District Attorney Dennis Stout, 61, says his political career was upended in large part because he lost [...]

Web of corruption

The county’s most extensively documented scandal, and the one that many consider to be one of the most egregious abuses of power in the county’s history, began in the 1990s and became public in 1998, when County Administrative Officer James Hlawek resigned and the Board of Supervisors announced the FBI [...]

County supervisor says rumors about DA should be investigated

PDF: Read San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry’s statement
Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Probe
San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry on Thursday called for an independent investigation of allegations that District Attorney Mike Ramos has engaged in improper behavior.
Derry said he is troubled by rumors that have been swirling in [...]

San Bernardino supervisors are skeptical of Grand Jury reform recommendations

Members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors weighed in Thursday on the Grand Jury’s recommendations for limits on campaign contributions and establishment of an ethics commission to help thwart corruption and the perception of it.
The Grand Jury’s 2008-2009 report released Wednesday included for the first time a special [...]

Check out (“Spirit of the Law”) Nancy K. Bohl (Penrod’s wife) for yourself, and see where your tax money is going

California Peer Support Association
2009 Annual Conference and Training
Conference Schedule
WEDNESDAY, September 16, 2009
See also:
Hoops pays back the Good Ol’ Boys
Raymond S. G. Pryke v. Gary Penrod, County of San Bernardino, B. Chambers, Dino Defazio and Does, filed June 23, 2009
Raymond Pryke ordered to pay sanctions, costs in libel lawsuit by Penrod’s wife
[...]

Deputy pleads not guilty in Vicodin sting

A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with drug possession after a hidden camera showed him pocketing 71 Vicodin pills during a hotel-room sting in Redlands.Jeffery Karp, 36, who has worked for the Sheriff’s Department since July 1999, pleaded not guilty Thursday in San Bernardino Superior Court to [...]

Sheriff’s deputy responds to suicide call by killing victim

A suicidal man armed with a knife was shot and killed late Sunday in Victorville during a brawl with a sheriff’s deputy.
The unidentified man died at the scene in the 14700 block of Cheyenne Place, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies came to the home at 10:40 p.m. to check on a [...]