Free Republic

Scandals and controversies have clouded Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona's public and private lives, dimming the prospects of a man whose political future once seemed unlimited.

SANTA ANA – An Orange County sheriff's reserve deputy has been suspended from duty after he was arrested for allegedly flashing his badge, pulling a gun and threatening to kill a group of golfers at a Chino Hills course. Raymond Yi, a reserve deputy since 2002 and Sheriff Michael Carona's martial arts instructor, turned in his badge and his department-issued gun Tuesday. Prosecutors in San Bernardino County said Thursday that the charges against Yi will now include two counts each of assault with a firearm and making criminal threats. He had been initially charged with brandishing a firearm, a misdemeanor....

SANTA ANA – Federal and local authorities are investigating whether fired Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo used department resources to help market an anti-crime device made by a company that paid Jaramillo and his wife $25,000. Investigators from the FBI and the Orange County district attorney's office have interviewed officials with CHG Safety Technologies Inc. about the firm's relationship with Jaramillo, the company's attorney said. Sheriff's officials are investigating whether Jaramillo improperly used patrol cars, deputies and a helicopter to market the company's system, said department spokesman Jon Fleischman. Jaramillo's attorney, Peter Scalisi, did not immediately return calls Wednesday...

Friends, relatives were also among the 86 who received badges, even though some lacked training. Carona says there was no public risk. Shortly after he took office, Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona and one of his top assistants deputized 86 friends, relatives, political contributors and others, giving them badges, powers of arrest and in some cases guns — despite the fact that none had background investigations and some had not been fully trained. Three years later, the state's Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training removed all 86 of the reserve deputies from California's peace officer database, which meant...

BEIJING, April 24 — China sealed off a major Beijing hospital Thursday, swiftly implementing a policy of quarantining SARS-affected areas to contain a disease threatening to erupt across the nation of 1.4 billion residents. In Hong Kong and Singapore, meanwhile, health experts said the disease may be even deadlier than initially thought. HOURS AFTER the World Health Organization advised against visiting Beijing, police took positions around the People’s Hospital of Peking University to stop people going in or out. Worldwide, the death toll has passed 260, with more than 4,300 cases of infection reported. The hospital is not one...

(Mike Shelton cartoon added by poster) "I want to acknowledge Mike Carona of Orange County, California, who's with us to share -- where are you, Mike?" Bush said as he scanned the room, where scores of law-enforcement and political officials were gathered to bolster the commander in chief's call for a new Homeland Security Department. "I appreciate you coming," Bush said as he spotted the sheriff. "He's the fellow who recently apprehended the killer of Samantha Runnion there in California. I want to congratulate you for your good work, helping make your community as safe as possible." Complete Article