Former Humboldt County District Attorney candidate Elan Firpo took her first steps in a new career today, stepping in as a partner in a prominent local firm now known as Zwerdling, Bragg, Mainzer and Firpo....
Firpo’s departure comes just weeks after her successful double murder prosecution of Bodhi Tree, who is now serving 108 years to life in state prison. Tree’s conviction wound up being Firpo’s prosecutorial swan song. She was also slated to handle the case of Gary Lee Bullock, a Garberville man accused of torturing and murdering popular St. Bernard Church Pastor Eric Freed on Jan. 1. Firpo said the hardest part of her decision to leave the office came when she called Freed’s family to tell them she’d be handing off the case.
This is a crying shame, given the absolutely decimated prosecutorial team.
What it means is - the already overburdened prosecutors are now having to handle this load. So where is Gallegos? With a little over 2 months to go, he leaves the place in an absolute shambles.
It's not going to help with putting out a welcome mat to attract new (seasoned, competent) prosecutors to the Humboldt County DA's Office, and that's a shame.
I heard that Maggie was not gracious in victory with Elan.
ReplyDeleteI heard the same thing. BUT Elan was gracious enough to not call her out on it. At least not publicly. Maggie is like a little kid.
DeleteWell for the first time, the 2 additional attorneys that Maggie Fleming will be adding are officially revealed. It is Wes Keat and Drew Isaac. By law they cannot work more than 4 hours a a day (or 6 months a year for 8 hours a day). That would not bode well as a depleted office of prosecutors, some others that are on their way out, and half-time lawyers cannot get the job done. Measure Z is going down in flames. The Sheriff will continue to hog all of the budget to pay his employees up to $300,000, so no more money. Not a whole lot of change down the pike.
ReplyDeleteThe Northcoast Journal article is old news. This has already been written about, and no one cares.
DeleteSame with Keat and Isaac. Who cares? Two old timers that have not prosecuted under the current conditions.
As long as that circus monkey Klein does not return, there is some hope of slight change.
So what is happening to Kelly Neel. Will Keat be under her? Fleming flead the DA's office after only 4 months of Neel as the ADA. Do you think Fleming keeps Neel? Her husband is inflicting major damage on the office as he is winning his cases or getting deals that are really good for clients. Can that arrangement continue?
DeleteI don't recall this wailing and gnashing of teeth when Paul arbitrarily fired Alison Jackson, a better prosecutor then Ms. Firpo will ever be; or when Paul arbitrarily fired Worth Dikeman, who convicted probably a couple dozen fellows of murder in his time in Humboldt.
ReplyDeleteThen you weren't paying very good attention, and Maggie seems to be picking up where Paul left off. Not too bright.
DeleteOMG. What a bunch of nonsense. Maggie was gracious with Elan in victory and also when Elan told her she was leaving to take a private job.
ReplyDeleteAs for Keat and Isaac: they get done more in four hours than most DDAs get done all day.
Maggie has no plans to sack Kelly Neel either....sorry to disappoint you all. I know how much you all feed on malicious gossip...none to see here.
Maggie was not gracious with Elan. For the good of the County, I hope that Maggie is successful in her administration of the DA's office. Maggie is a very good attorney. But don't give her credit for social skills she doesn't have. She was not gracious. Maggie was bitter and petty in her dealings with Elan after the campaign.
DeleteYou know that because . . ...Actually, you don't. You were never present for any conversations the two had, and you never witnessed any call Elan made Election Night to congratulate Maggie, because no such call was made. Firpo lost. Firpo quit. End of story. Or it should be.
DeleteWhat's with the anti-Fleming fruitcakes on this blog?!
ReplyDeleteSame could be said of all anti comments. Takes a fruitcake to know one.
Deleteditto 8:30 PM
ReplyDeleteMaybe you forgot. 4 of 10 voters wanted someone other than Fleming because of what she destroyed of CAST when she was in there and her cronyism. Her kissing Downey's boots last night made me sick to my stomach. I hope we have a good replacement ready for her in four years.
DeleteSeek help sir, for that craniorectal inversion. Seriously, pretending you know what motivated other voters is just stupid, and the CAST canard is just lame. As for cronyism- well, 6 out of ten voters did not buy any of those lies. But you did, and still do. Oh wait, maybe, you are one of the pathetic haters who made them up.
Delete2:21- You have a serious aversion to the facts. But you are right. There were plenty of reasons to NOT want Fleming. Far more serious than her CAST nonsense.
DeleteYou sad little hater. The next 8 to 12 years are going to be very hard for you.
Delete8-12 Years. God, I hope not. Hopefully she runs for judge. Less opportunity for damage.
DeleteNo kidding--the sore losers seem to have the floor here--Fleming is no good because a minority of the voters went for the three (count 'em) other candidates. Pathetic reasoning.
ReplyDeleteShall we bring up all the reasons we didn't want Fleming in there? Her lies and history? Shall we start those posts again. I'm ready to give her a chance, but her history says I don't have to be hopeful
DeleteReally? How'd that work out for you, during the election?
DeleteSame way it worked with Gallegos. The electorate isn't all that bright sometimes.They haven't got the DA's office right for about 25 years.
DeleteYou may have been correct, six months ago. Now, you're just a sore loser.
DeleteWe are all going to be sore. At least those of us who care about this county. The Downey-Fleming-Cox combo is sure to reign in law enforcement and DA investigator salaries and right the ship. Not. Lock your doors. The old sheriff's are in town. Don't worry. They are fully supported by the unions who put them there who they are suppose to manage.
DeleteThe Downey-Fleming-Cox combo? Put down the bong, Salzman, your tinfoil hat appears to have slipped.
DeleteIt's time to put the rivalries aside, and give her a chance. People gave Paul a chance. None more so than the DDAs who he ended up alienating. "There's a mole in the office, leaking to the Times-Standard!" Salzman said, mere weeks into Pau;'s term. What, pray tell, could he possibly have had to hide?
ReplyDeleteNo matter what, no matter who it turned out to be, the new DA will be an improvement.
And she's truly 'inheriting' a MESS. Fixing it is impossible, IMO, but give her a chance.
I agree with you Rose.
DeleteThe anti-Fleming remarks are from the same trolls, troublemakers who anonymously created dissension during the election.
And "court insiders" and criminals who will miss the secret plea deals.