Assistant Sheriff in O.C. to Retire

Orange County Assistant Sheriff Pete Gannon, who postponed his retirement after his predecessor was fired in the midst of allegations of corruption and abuse of power, said Saturday that he would step down Sept. 1.

Gannon, a former captain, was named assistant sheriff in March 2004 after Sheriff Mike Carona fired his then-second in command, George Jaramillo, who faced probes into allegations that he interfered in the arrest of the son of another sheriff’s official and aided a business client using county resources.

Jaramillo has been cleared in the arrest case, but still faces felony corruption charges. He has denied wrongdoing.

Jaramillo’s troubles have been an embarrassment for Carona, who is seeking a third term.

Gannon, 55, said his decision to retire was unrelated to problems in the department. Instead, he said, it was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his extended family and surf. He had planned to retire just one week before Jaramillo was fired, he said. He stayed at Carona’s request.

“The department and the county have been good to me,” said Gannon, a Dana Point resident who is married and has an adult daughter. “I could not just walk away when the sheriff asked me to help. I would have looked back and judged myself. I would not have been comfortable with that.”

As assistant sheriff, Gannon, who joined the department 32 years ago, oversees patrols in 14 cities, the harbor patrol, security at John Wayne Airport, and county buses and buildings.