The Trial of Michael Corona, Sheriff of Orange County, California

Guest Entry by SeniorMoments!

A California case which received national attention a few years back was that of little 5 year old Samantha Runion who was kidnapped from the front of her family’s condo and killed. The hero of that case was the newly elected sheriff of Orange County, Michael Corona. The sheriff stood in front of cameras with the child’s mother and warned the guilty party not to sleep or rest because he personally would make sure that the kidnapper was caught. And, he kept his word! The kidnapper was caught, jailed, prosecuted and convicted. Corona was celebrated locally and nationally for his dedication.

Now, in a turn of events too bizarre to even imagine at that time, the hero has lost his “cape of honor”. Mike Corona was forced to abdicate his elected office in order to defend himself against a series of charges of corruption and misuse of his office. Sound mundane? Anything but! The case presented by the prosecution involves the sheriff, his wife, and his long-time mistress, an attorney. The rape trial of the son of one of his wealthy cronies, appointed as Assistant Sheriff, led to the downfall of the house of cards that Corona built to elevate himself to the possibility of much higher political office. The man who Larry King called “America’s Sheriff” has been secretly taped making statements that are highly incriminating and he’s now fighting to keep himself out of his own jail. Local Los Angeles radio personalities John and Ken have daily updates on the trial from reporter Eric Leonard at KFI radio.

Thank you very much SeniorMoments for contributing this recap to T&T! Sprocket

LA Times