Corpus finishes testimony, speaks outside courtroom at removal hearing
Sheriff Corpus speaks outside courtroom at her removal hearing
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus finished nearly nine hours of testimony over three days Wednesday at the removal hearing inside the San Mateo County Hall of Justice.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus finished nearly nine hours of testimony over three days Wednesday at the removal hearing inside the San Mateo County Hall of Justice.
Denies allegations
What we know:
"All the allegations, they're false. And I will continue to fight. I will continue to prove to this county that I continue to keep them safe," Corpus said outside after her testimony ended. "I am very glad I have the opportunity to tell the truth here during the proceedings."
Corpus said the accusations that she'd had an inappropriate relationship and gave extra benefits to her Chief of Staff, Victor Aenlle, are factually untrue innuendos, by people within the Sheriff's office and county who were aligned with her predecessor former Sheriff Carlos Bolanos.
Standing by her chief of staff
"I have been fighting the detractors, the people that don't want to accept the culture change that our community demands and that is so needed in law enforcement," Corpus said. Sheriff Corpus said she stands by her support for Aenlle.
"Just because I believed in him, I trust him, you have to have people you trust on your team, that doesn't mean I crossed the line," Corpus said. "I believed in what he was doing. He believed in my vision for 21st century policing. And they didn't like that. And I was not going to allow for someone to tell me who I can have on my team. And I stand by my decision."
Further testimony
The county, however, called Valerie Barnes, who had been a close friend and an assistant to Corpus, to testify about an incident when she saw Corpus and Aenlle appear to be kissing.
Attorneys for the county say the Board's removal decision was backed by Measure A which voters passed, allowing them to remove her from office.
"An independent investigation set from the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters concluded that the Sheriff has violated the law with respect to neglect, repeated and flagrant neglect of her duties, also obstructing an investigation into her conduct," Effie Milionis Verducci, a San Mateo County spokesperson, said.
"With reference to Measure A, both the Board of Supervisors and the public were misled by that measure. It started with the Cordell Report which has absolutely no evidentiary value in any court of law. In fact the DA's office even said that when the civil grand jury asked for it," Thomas Mazzucco, an attorney with Corpus's Legal team, said.
Other witnesses
What's next:
The county prepared a list of more than 30 witnesses to testify before retired Judge James Emerson, who will deliver a recommendation to the Board.
"This is an administrative hearing and the procedures have been determined in an open board hearing supported by the voters. The civil grand jury effort is being led by the district attorney," Milionis Verducci said.
Corpus's legal team
Corpus's attorneys say the union's accusations of retaliation are false, and any changes were due to staffing shortages.
"She promoted four out of the five Captains, and these are captains who have not supported her. This is the type of leader she is. She is not afraid to have people in the department who disagree with her," Tom Perez, an attorney with Corpus's legal team, said.
Perez was a recent addition to Corpus's legal team. He was a senior advisor to the Biden administration, a former US Secretary of Labor and a former chair of the Democratic National Committee.
"It's labor union issues, it's discretionary issues, decisions that I can make as a sheriff as my predecessors have and yet I'm being held to a different standard," Corpus said.
What's next:
County attorneys will have until the end of the week to finish presenting evidence and calling witnesses. Next week the defense will get their turn.
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Sheriff Corpus defends her actions in nearly 7 hours of testimony
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus took the stand for a second day in her removal hearing, responding to questions from county attorneys and her own defense team about allegations that she used intimidation and retaliation against staff, and favoritism towards her close friend Victor Aenlle.