Letter to editor

A Second Response to Ms. Muir

Dear Editor:

Ms. Muir’s 27 January letter patently disregards facts. She states, “However, as an American citizen and a former child mental health worker, I know that when a man is initially held on one million dollars bail for alleged sex crimes against a minor, there is sufficient legal evidence against him to prove wrongdoing.”

The McMartin-Preschool case puts the lie to her statement. Peggy McMartin Buckley was accused of numerous sexual offenses against minors with bail set at one million dollars. She was acquitted on all counts.

In the same case, Ray Buckley was accused of 65 sexual offenses against minors and denied bail. At his first trial he was acquitted on 52 counts with the jury hung on the remaining 13. A second trial for 6 of the remaining counts resulted in a hung jury. Subsequently, all counts were dismissed.

The recent Strauss-Kahn case also comes to mind.

I gently point out to Ms. Muir and to all citizens that district attorneys’ careers are often made with sensational, especially sex-sensational cases. Some DAs go for broke.

Disclaimer. I don’t point my finger at or question the integrity of any particular district attorney.

Hank Garretson
Mammoth Lakes

(see first response to Ms. Muir by clicking here)