Santa Clara Sheriff’s Candidate Anh Colton Charged with Lying About Law Enforcement Experience

Anh Colton, an unsuccessful prospect for Santa Clara County sheriff in the the latest Primary Election, has been billed with perjury for falsely certifying that she had the required legislation enforcement working experience, District Legal professional Jeff Rosen announced this afternoon.

Anh Colton, 48, of Cupertino, has experienced no legislation enforcement experience in the final 5 a long time, Rosen explained in a June 16 press launch. California law demands that candidates for sheriff have at minimum just one 12 months of legislation enforcement encounter inside of the past five yrs.

“Unfortunately, condition legislation did not allow the Registrar of Voters or the DA’s Office to remove Colton from the ballot,” Rosen mentioned.

Colton’s arraignment is predicted to be later this summer time, in accordance to the press release.  The perjury cost is a felony punishable by up to 4 years in the county jail.

“The skills for sheriff are not for clearly show,” Rosen reported in a assertion. “The sheriff oversees the basic safety of 1000’s of men and women, hundreds of deputies, and our jail. It is not a work for the inexperienced or incompetent.”

Rosen said he was grateful the unqualified candidate did not have an impact on the consequence of the election.

Colton, who acquired 13,620 votes, or 4.4% of the vote, with 98% of ballots counted as of 4:50pm right now, did not make the runoff for the sheriff’s workplace. Bob Jonsen and Kevin Jensen will facial area off for sheriff in November.

Rosen explained that earlier this yr, his Bureau of Investigations had started hunting at Colton’s qualifications.

“Numerous thorough checks appeared to present that Colton was not and had under no circumstances been a peace officer,” the push release said. “She swore – below penalty of perjury – that she had these kinds of practical experience in her official declaration.”

When an investigator asked her about her law enforcement practical experience at her home in late April, she referred him to her campaign advisor.

In Might, the investigator gained an e mail from her campaign advisor, who was not determined, indicating that the investigator need to keep absent from Colton and she did not have to and would not respond to his questions.

“It does not seem that Colton’s illegal participation as a candidate in the election prevented any candidate from successful outright (getting additional than 50% of the votes) at the key – nor did it have an effect on who will be the members in the runoff election.”