The Sour Taste of Wine & Justice

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Saturday June 03, 2006 23:41 by COT

These days G is a busy man. Meeting him at his house, I see that he has converted his bedroom into a pseudo-office, full of computers and court documents, which he is currently transferring onto his newly launched website. He tells me that he has been working long hours recently on the website, but it seems clear that his enthusiasm and energy haven’t tired.
G is a man with a mission and seems about ready to pick up where he left off in his own personal campaign for justice against the state and county law makers of California.

Eleven years ago, G, like thousands of other Irish people, immigrated over to the United States in the hope of a better life and secure job away from the poverty and lack of prospects available in Ireland at the time. Finally settling in the sun kissed valleys of Napa County California with its world-famous wine glades it was the perfect place to live and start a family.
As a professional photographer during his time in Ireland, G used his experience to start a career within a Private Investigation firm Arden Perkins Investigations and planned with his fiancée K to start a family.
During his time with Arden Perkins Investigations G began to have second doubts about the whole thing. He witnessed them committing Insurance fraud as well as falsifying documents. Arden Perkins himself was an ex-cop of 28 years and regularly hired local officers to moonlight for him on cases.
When G refused to lie in court for one of the cases that Ardens had falsified he was fired. “It was at that stage that he (Perkins) started to make life difficult for me and also threaten me.”
It was at this time that Perkins, concerned about being sued for wrongful dismissal, filed charges that G had stolen and embezzled equipment, contrary to the evidence at hand. At this point the evidence including several emails between Perkins and G agreeing on the time of the equipment change was enough for Napa Police not to bother filing any charges or even placing him under arrest. However Perkins filed claims in a neighbouring county of Sonoma where he was known to have good relations with the local police. Despite the obvious legal and ethical problems of the case being out of Sonoma counties jurisdiction one officer Detective John Williams (of Sonoma) took up the case, he also happened to live two blocks from Perkins.
While Napa not wanting to even get involved in the case due to insufficient evidence were openly hostile to the venue being moved back rightly on to there jurisdiction.
This was when the police intimidation began. “They (Napa Police) burst through my door, without a warrant, on what I have confirmed was a request from Sonoma county police to the Napa police department. They also followed me on several occasions from my house when I went out. This was during the time that I was getting the venue of the hearing moved from Sonoma, which was outside the jurisdiction of where I lived, to Napa, my home county where they knew they would not have a case.”

During this whole time however G’s finacee K became pregnant and they began to start a family. His wife was also being followed by the police departments. This however didn’t diminish G’s conviction to beat the charges of stealing and embezzling camera and phone equipment.
“That was the time that Sonoma knowing that K was pregnant continued to harass us into not changing venue to the correct jurisdiction. Napa Police didn’t bother to arrest me once while I was living in the county because they actually knew from the evidence I handed and sent them that the charges from Sonoma County were bogus. All of this caused K to be hospitalised with hypertension during which time she went in labour and gave birth one month prematurely.”
It was after his daughter being prematurely born that G agreed not to negotiate and also considered suing both Napa and Sonoma for police harassment something which could potentially generate a million dollar settlement. All of this seemed to worry the people overlooking the trail.
“I went over to Sonoma court to beat the charges against me and was informed that my Judge was being replaced by Judge Frank Passalacqua.” Judge Passalacqua was the District Attorneys uncle and upon hearing that G could not afford legal consul set a $50,000 bail for the misdemeanour charges of allegedly stealing equipment. This is the same judge who gave a $17,500 bail for a drug dealer who had tried to kill a police officer.
It was this completely inappropriate and corrupt verdict that resulted in G spending a month in county jail where according to prison documents G was beaten by two police officers.
So even though G was under the jurisdiction of another county, even though his own police department refused to arrest him on any charges citing lack of evidence a corrupt ex cop who employed several police was able to imprison an innocent man. All on charges of allegedly stealing some work equipment despite the large evidence to the contrary.

The sad fact is that when you have a local legislature and police force in which the judge in the case is related to the District Attorney prosecuting the case and when you have the person accusing the defendant of stealing, being an ex-officer who employs several other local officers that are investigating the case. Then that case is irrevocably tainted by a clear conflict of interest.
At this stage the evidence on display showed that both Napa and Sonoma were getting worried about the prospect of getting sued for harassment. Detective Williams who during the trial withheld evidence offered his resignation. I have still not been able to get a clear answer as to why he resigned.
However this all leads to G’s current campaign now he is back in Ireland. He has one goal which is to get his daughter back. Not content with dragging an ordinary family man through months of imprisonment and court. Sonoma county after bankrupting G financially began to tear his family apart. K and there ten month old daughter were threatened to testify or be prosecuted as well in the case. Under pressure from the police K left with his daughter and G finacially ruined by the court case travelled back to Ireland to be with his family. He has now not seen his daughter in 18 months.
This has left a bitter taste in G's mouth but he is determined to head back to Sonoma to fight his corner and clear his name. He is in good spirits with the official bringmybabyhome.org website gaining momentum and elections (with high profile charges of corruption) already threatening to bring down the DA Passalaqua. G see signs that finally justice may be done. Asked how he would like to see the issue resolved G merely states. “I want my record cleared and no further charges or further harassment of my family and I want to see my daughter.”