Incumbent Quits Race for Fall Runoff
Special to The Times
San Bernardino County Dist. Atty. Dennis Stout withdrew from the November runoff election Thursday, throwing the race to Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike Ramos.
In last week’s primary, Stout received 10,000 fewer votes than Ramos, though Ramos failed to win the 50% plus one needed to avert a runoff.
“The voters have given me the message that they desire change,” Stout, 54, said in a statement.
Ramos, 44, and the other challenger in the primary, defense attorney Frank Guzman, had seized on a scandal involving Stout and county Supervisor Jerry Eaves.
In March 2001, Stout acknowledged that he made “errors in judgment” when he secretly aided Eaves’ political opponent even as Stout was investigating Eaves in a corruption and bribery scandal. The D.A.’s office kept the opponent apprised of the investigation.
After Stout then recused his office from prosecuting Eaves, Eaves reached an agreement with the attorney general’s office, which took over the case, and pleaded no contest to seven misdemeanor counts.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
