This oughtta be interesting. "given the personalities involved."
The Times Standard has a follow up to yesterday's 'breaking news,' complete with video. Now we know who the defense attorneys are, and who is apparently going to be prosecuting Gallegos' case. (with video)
The arraignment of a former Eureka police chief and a current lieutenant indicted by a criminal grand jury for involuntary manslaughter in the April 2006 shooting death of Cheri Lyn Moore was postponed Monday at the defense's request.
Superior Court Judge John T. Feeney set a new arraignment date of Feb. 21, and said the grand jury transcript and indictment would “remain sealed until further order of the court.”
Feeney allowed Lt. Anthony Zanotti and former Police Chief David Douglas to remain free on their own recognizance.
Feeney started the arraignment by disclosing that he was a law partner with Douglas' attorney, Bill Bragg, in the past and that he worked on a housing advisory board for the city of Eureka in the late 1980s.
There was a standing-room-only crowd in the courtroom, with about 90 people, mostly law enforcement personnel from various agencies, watching the short proceeding. Neither the defense nor Deputy District Attorney Allan Dollison objected to Feeney hearing the case.
Bragg, who, along with John Hamilton of the Santa Ana firm Ferguson, Praet and Sherman, is representing Douglas, said the defense team requested the continuance to allow it time to review the transcripts of the grand jury proceedings, which were not available as of Monday.
Bragg, who has experience representing law enforcement personnel, said he has never heard of commanding officers facing indictments for the aftermath of their decisions.
”It's a unique situation,” he said.
Asked if he was surprised to learn of the indictments, Bragg replied: “A surprise implies different types of emotions, and I wouldn't necessarily say I was surprised, given the personalities involved.”
After the brief hearing, the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office officially confirmed for the first time that the criminal grand jury convened last month handed up felony indictments of involuntary manslaughter to Douglas and Zanotti.
The district attorney's office said the indictments came after days of testimony from numerous witnesses in front of the grand jury, whose members were drawn from the regular jury pool.
Moore, who had a history of mental illness, was shot and killed April 14, 2006 by Eureka Police officers in her second story apartment at Fifth and G streets. During the preceding two-hour standoff, Moore brandished a flare gun, threw things from her second-story window and threatened to burn down the building.
Police have said they believed Moore had put down the flare gun when the decision was made to storm her apartment. Upon entering, officers said they came face to face with Moore, who was pointing a flare gun at them. Officers shot Moore multiple times.
While former EPD officer Rocky Harpham and Sgt. Michael Johnson fired the fatal shots, Zanotti and Douglas were the commanding officers at the scene. Legal experts said what makes this case highly unusual is that Zanotti and Douglas are facing charges, while those who fired the fatal shots are not.
The district attorney's office press release stated that Douglas and Zanotti each face up to four years in prison if convicted.
Day 609
Related:
EPD, other law enforcement turn out to support Zanotti, Douglas
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ADDED: Allan Dollison served Humboldt County's DA's office for 6 years and 4 months. He details his record, and his reasons for leaving here - ◼ My record at the DA's Office - Allan Dollison/for the Times-Standard
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NOTATION: 7/13/2013 - It's an interesting aspect of this blog that other people often get caught in the net, based on their entrance into the Gallegos saga. And so their names live online, to be unearthed whenever they apply for a job. Sometimes the searches that lead people here are for other reasons, but it usually has to do with a job search.
And, so it is that Allan Dollison appears here. His time with the DA's office has come and gone, he rose through Gallegos' ranks, and was slated, some said, to become Assistant DA. He was a loyal player, and, I believe, a true believer.
Through my work here, I am often kept informed about cases, how they're handled, how the various Deputy DA's do their job, interact with victims, and so forth.
And I feel it necessary to say this. I have come to the conclusion, that, for all his past mistake, Allan Dollison turned out to be one of the best and most honest of the bunch, far surpassing his boss, Paul Gallegos.
He has since left the DA's office, and, as is often the case when people leave, I get the chance to talk to them. I have talked with Allan Dollison. And, to his credit, he never once asked me to remove any of this info, as damaging as it is to him. I respect that, and I think it's noteworthy.
If you're looking to hire him, it's worthy of consideration.
I'm not pulling anything down, as that would be a disservice to the facts as they have unfolded, but I am adding this, to mitigate that online-lives-forever reality.
