Trial Ordered in O.C. Sheriff’s Captain’s Case

A judge on Friday refused to dismiss a criminal case against an Orange County sheriff’s captain accused of soliciting campaign cash for her boss and ordered an April jury trial.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Dewey L. Falcone ruled that Capt. Christine Murray failed to prove she was the victim of discriminatory prosecution.

“You’re asking me to draw an inference I don’t think is justified based on what I’ve seen,” he told Murray’s attorney, Jennifer Keller. He scheduled a jury trial for April 24.

Keller had argued that political enemies of Sheriff Michael S. Carona within his department “decided to go after” Murray to embarrass Carona after discovering she had phoned employees seeking endorsements for the sheriff’s reelection campaign.

Murray faces 16 misdemeanor charges of asking fellow workers for money. She has denied the charges.

During the hearing, Keller argued that the attorney general’s office was motivated in part by ill will that Senior Assistant Atty. Gen. Gary W. Schons directed at attorney Michael Schroeder, a key member of Carona’s campaign team.

Schons denied his office was on a witch hunt. He told the judge he stepped in because the district attorney’s office would have had a conflict pursuing the case. Murray’s activity was connected to Carona’s political team, he said, including Schroeder, who also is a campaign advisor to Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas. In addition, Schroeder’s wife is a deputy district attorney. Falcone made his ruling without hearing from several witnesses who had been subpoenaed to testify, including Shirley L. Grindle, a political watchdog. Schons had also subpoenaed Schroeder, but he was not called.

The Murray case dates to early last year, when Sheriff’s Department officials alleged that Murray had improperly downloaded an employee list with home addresses and telephone numbers from a computer in the sheriff’s executive office and used the information to solicit contributions.

Keller said Murray would defend herself at trial. “This is Christine Murray’s life, her career, her reputation, her livelihood,” Keller said.

Jurists in Orange County were disqualified from hearing the case because of the potential for conflict.