Sheriff’s Officials Defend Deputizing Businessman

Top Orange County sheriff’s officials on Thursday defended their decision to appoint an Irvine businessman as a special reserve deputy and to grant him a concealed weapons permit despite the man’s arrest record.

Sheriff’s investigators conducted a “thorough check” into Ghaby Nassar’s criminal history before concluding that a 1982 misdemeanor conviction for trespassing should not prevent him from working as a volunteer reserve, officials said.

The conviction stemmed from a 1981 domestic violence arrest, according to officials. Sheriff’s investigators noted the arrest.

But officials said the department gives more weight to convictions and pays close attention to how long ago they occurred. In Nassar’s case, officials said they decided the conviction was for a “lightweight misdemeanor,” Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo said.

“The people who looked at it, came to the conclusion that given what he would be doing and when it occurred, there was no reason why he couldn’t volunteer,” Jaramillo added.

Nassar, 56, stepped down as a reserve deputy earlier this week after investigators asked him about a 1987 restraining order he did not disclose during the background checks. Nassar’s attorney said his client didn’t know the restraining order had been issued. He worked as an unpaid reserve for about a year, officials said.

Deputies are still deciding whether Nassar can keep the permit.