Column on Sheriff Gates Came as Breath of Fresh Air

I was absolutely outraged to read your misleading and inaccurate story (“Jury Finds Gates Violated Rights in Gun Permit Suit,” Sept. 29) and your subsequent editorial (“The Sheriff and the Supervisors,” Oct. 2) about Sheriff Brad Gates’ trial over permits for concealed weapons.

The jury in that case found only that the Sheriff’s Department had a higher standard for private investigators than for everyone else, not that the sheriff played political favorites.

In fact, the jury specifically rejected the claim that political contributions even remotely affected his decisions regarding concealed weapons permits.

SCOTT M. PEARSON, Santa Ana