Medrano case stirs emotions
I arrived at work today to find my voice mail filled with anonymous messages accusing me of slanting the stories against former Gardena City Councilman Oscar Medrano.
First, let me say, I don’t know this man, I’ve never met him, don’t live in Gardena and have no personal stake in this. The sexual abuse charges filed against him are just another story in my 21 years of covering crime.
I called the councilman's family last week. They chose not to comment.
I don’t know whether the former councilman is guilty or not. Experienced sex crimes investigators and prosecutors decided enough evidence exists to file 12 felony counts against him, and I reported it. They obviously believe his accuser, and I'm told behind the scenes that they have a strong case.
Sometimes prosecutors are wrong. A few years ago, the DA's Office charged three Carson High School students with raping a UCLA student during a visit to the Westwood campus. I covered their trial and was mystified that we were even in court. In that case, the victim’s testimony made little sense and she lacked credibility.
The jury agreed, found the young men not guilty, and sent all three home.
Over the weekend, I received some emails and voice mails from people on both sides of the Medrano issue. Some support him, others want him to go to prison forever. One guy thinks he’s a lousy jeweler.
One thing that appears certain: Medrano’s supporters are ready to portray the alleged victim in this case as a mentally unstable girl making false accusations.
We'll have to let the court process play out.
First, let me say, I don’t know this man, I’ve never met him, don’t live in Gardena and have no personal stake in this. The sexual abuse charges filed against him are just another story in my 21 years of covering crime.
I called the councilman's family last week. They chose not to comment.
I don’t know whether the former councilman is guilty or not. Experienced sex crimes investigators and prosecutors decided enough evidence exists to file 12 felony counts against him, and I reported it. They obviously believe his accuser, and I'm told behind the scenes that they have a strong case.
Sometimes prosecutors are wrong. A few years ago, the DA's Office charged three Carson High School students with raping a UCLA student during a visit to the Westwood campus. I covered their trial and was mystified that we were even in court. In that case, the victim’s testimony made little sense and she lacked credibility.
The jury agreed, found the young men not guilty, and sent all three home.
Over the weekend, I received some emails and voice mails from people on both sides of the Medrano issue. Some support him, others want him to go to prison forever. One guy thinks he’s a lousy jeweler.
One thing that appears certain: Medrano’s supporters are ready to portray the alleged victim in this case as a mentally unstable girl making false accusations.
We'll have to let the court process play out.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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