San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos
Posted: 04/07/17 – 6:07 PM PDT |
The assault of Francis Pusok in 2015 by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies was televised for the entire country to see. Unlike some cases in recent years in which one could plausibly explain away and even justify use of force by officers, the beating of Pusok was indisputably excessive.
Kicked and punched over a prolonged period of time, Pusok, himself no angel, became a victim of those who ostensibly swore an oath to protect and serve their community.
Last week, jurors convicted Charles Foster of felony assault by a public officer. They deadlocked 8-4 in favor of convicting two additional deputies, Nick Downey and Michael Phelps, for similar charges. On Monday, both deputies accepted generous plea deals dismissing felony charges in exchange for pleading no contest to disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor.
“After reevaluating the evidence and learning that the jury was hopelessly deadlocked, there is no reasonable likelihood that another jury would be able to reach a verdict,” Dist. Atty. Mike Ramos said in a statement. “It is time to move forward.”
It is a highly convenient resolution for Ramos, who publicly intervened in a spat between Deputy District Attorney Robert Bulloch and the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association, the deputy union. In his closing arguments last week, Bulloch appealed to jurors to take on the “culture of violence” in the sheriff’s department. Noting the case wasn’t an indictment of all police officers, Bulloch stressed the importance of standing up to the machine that is the sheriff’s department.
To read expanded article, click here.
The Sun, who has for years showered us with outrageously biased coverage of The Colonies prosecution, is now criticizing the actions of District Attorney Mike Ramos and calling him a “career politician.”
This is hopefully the beginning of the end of the tenure of Mr. Ramos, whose one consistent attribute has been to be a disgrace to the profession.
I would like the County to elect a DA who wants to prosecute crime. The current one thinks he is the head of a brothel.
“SEBA, seeing an opportunity for relevance”, I laughed at this line! Spot on. The folks at SEBA know damn well what has gone on in the department.
Joe Nelson did not write this, I wonder who did? In any case I agree with #1, hopefully he is about to reap what he sowed…
The Sun to Ramos was what CNN was for Clinton. Spot on #1 and #3.
I am enjoying every Sun article on the Colonies at the moment. Watching the Ramos regime getting destroyed by their own witnesses.
Same shit different day.