Pressure growing on indicted O.C. sheriff to step aside

Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona’s indictment on seven federal charges continued to reverberate Thursday through the county political establishment and statewide law enforcement community, and pressure built for him to step aside.

“I’ve got quite a few calls on it,” said Chris Norby, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, “and they’re running overwhelmingly that there needs to be a change there in the department and that we need to get behind this. I know he’s innocent until proven guilty, but he needs to be held to a higher standard because he is an elected official.”

Norby said he is mulling whether to support a proposal by Supervisor John Moorlach that would ask voters in February to give the board the ability to remove Carona.

“But there’s a broader point here and it’s a policy question,” Norby said. “Should you empower the board with this power in this extreme situation? If this wasn’t such an extreme situation with Carona, should the board be able to remove him?”

Norby said a competing proposal by Supervisor Bill Campbell would probably be presented to the board Tuesday that calls on the board to formally ask Carona to appoint an interim sheriff while he battles public corruption charges. The request would be nonbinding.

In the meantime, county employees were consumed by the news, gathering around computer terminals to scan the latest headlines and chatting near water coolers about where the indictment’s allegations of conspiracy may lead.

Police chiefs and sheriff’s officials in other counties openly worried that Carona’s troubles may crystallize in the public’s mind as another troublesome example of law enforcement corruption.

“Of course, you’re presumed innocent at this point. But [the charges are] not to be taken lightly,” said San Diego County Undersheriff William D. Gore. “The indictment of a sheriff is always shocking and never good for law enforcement.”

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters said that police chiefs and sheriffs throughout the state rang his phone all day when the news broke this week.

“We want to do what we can to make sure there is an accurate reflection of leadership before the public,” he said.

“A lot of the public doesn’t distinguish between the sheriff, police departments and the federal authorities,” Walters said. “If one is doing it, why should we trust the others? Particularly when you are dealing with immigrants from other countries where many of the authorities are corrupt.”

Carona, meanwhile, returned to work Thursday -- one day after he appeared in handcuffs in federal court to face charges that he accepted bribes in exchange for favors.

His office refused to release his calendar or provide details of his official activities.

david.reyes@latimes.com

garrett.therolf@latimes.com

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Times staff writer H.G. Reza contributed to this report.