Home alone in San Ramon

2006-01-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

How the case against Jacob Calero was Botched!

First, the police and DA assisted by an over-zealous media, rushed to capture their 15 minutes of fame. Perhaps a more prudent move would have been to carefully investigate all the facts of the case. Too late for that now!

Second, “Felony Child Endangerment”, it's a very scary sounding charge, especially when accompanied by $200,000 bail each.

“San Ramon police Sgt. Brian Kalinowski said Tuesday that his investigators are seeking criminal charges against the parents.
"What we are dealing with here is child endangerment, leaving children in what could potentially be a condition where (they) could come into harm," he said.”

The charge according to experts is virtually impossible to prove under these circumstances. If the child was placed in conditions "likely to produce great bodily harm or death,'' the crime is a felony, punishable by two to six years in state prison. If not, it's a misdemeanor punishable by as much as six months in county jail.

Don't worry, the good people of Contra Costa County will be happy to foot the bill for a couple of million dollar trial that will never end in conviction. They will simply say they tried.

Third, there has still not been a thorough investigation of “all” the facts. Some of the questions that might come up;
Everyone I talk to says they would rush right over to check on the kids, Instead the first thing Grandma does is call the police. Was there some kind of vendetta going on here.
What if she had agreed to watch the kids in order to trap the couple. She says she couldn't watch the kids because of work but now says she is willing to take them permanently. Uh, excuse me, usually they hold a preliminary hearing to sort things out. Youth and Family Services is not into the fast track to adoption.
Inviting the media into her home to interview the children (only after having sufficient time to prime the 10 year old as to why he is so angry with his parents). No wonder the judge placed a gag order on her. She had told the media she was going into a closed hearing and would come out and tell them what they said!
What if there was a grudge against the parents. Libbey Holden paints a story of here poor deceased daughter but really, what was their relationship like? Were they close or did they have a falling out? Was Libbey by her daughter's side as she was dying or did she alienate here and abandon her like she is accusing her son-in-law of doing to his kids. If this is the case and there is evidence of it, then the foundation of their entire case rests on a grudge. What jury would convict beyond “a shadow of a doubt” under such circumstances.

But Thank you Sgt. Kalinowski. You have succeeded in destroying this couples lives based on information you received from an eccentric grandmother. All in the guise of upholding the law, you have completely bypassed the law. Why don't we just do away with all the high priced lawyers and legal system. We could pay Jerry Springer a flat retainer fee to try all of our citizens on his show. Talk about a tax break, we could turn the courthouses into shopping malls. Is this the legal system you swore to uphold Sgt. Kalinowski?

Sadistic Cops and Smirking DA's. Come on, Who are they kidding, the purpose here is to punish (torture) the couple a little prior to any hearing or hard evidence. They have certainly devastated the parents locking them up for the first time in their lives and refusing to reduce bail. Risk of flight? Hello, any risk of flight was negated when they came back in the first place.

Home Alone in San Ramon

Home alone in San Ramon