Sheriff Prieto’s Attack is Scrutinized

Local news stations report that Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto had a run in with two individuals on the street, but that those individuals tried to mess with the wrong person.

As the Woodland Daily Democrat reports,

“Sacramento resident Jerry Monk, 35, was scheduled to appear at the Yolo County Court house for a pre-trial conference as a defendant in a criminal matter. Afterward, he and his friend, fellow Sacramentan Ontriel Darnell Jones, 24, walked down the south sidewalk of Court Street, when they approached a man walking down the same street. For reasons unknown, Jones and Monk, verbally accosted the man, sarcastically asking what there was to do in Woodland, employing profanity in the process. The man they asked happened to be 6-foot-5, 275-pound Yolo County Sheriff E.G. Prieto. He was dressed in street clothes. In retrospect, the two men probably wished they never stepped into Woodland. “

The Sheriff reportedly asked the men to stop, asked them for IDs, believed they were going to attack him.

Prieto flashed them his badge. They walked away. Prieto ordered them to stop, twice. They didn’t. The 64-year-old sheriff then reached for one of the suspect’s arms and that’s when Prieto said he made a move to attack him. “He looked like he was going punch me,” Prieto said. Prieto then subdued the suspect by throwing him to the ground and held him there while fending off the other suspect.”

However, the television news coverage casts a different version of the story. There the suspects claim that in fact the Sheriff provoked them by shouting out homophobic remarks. The Sheriff of course denies this version.

However watch this video from KCRA News 3 in Sacramento.

There is no way of knowing of course who is telling the truth in this case and whether or not the Sheriff made homophobic remarks.

However, there are portions of this story that do not make a lot of sense.

For instance, if these men were looking for trouble, why target the 6-7, 275 pound Sheriff? Even if they do not know he’s the Sheriff, he seems about the last person in the world, you would want to mess with.

Second, when they show the men in question, they look to be rather small, in fact, they look like combined they are smaller than the Sheriff? Did he really feel threatened by them? Did he really feel like *they* were going to attack him?

Finally, when the subjects are interviewed, they are not interviewed in jail. Why is it that two men who were in court for drug charges would be out free the day after attacking the Sheriff?

Obviously everything that the Sheriff claims could be true, but from what I saw on the newscast, his story really does not seem to add up, but decide for yourself.

—Doug Paul Davis reporting


About The Author

David Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

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3 Comments

  1. Our Unethical DA

    Sheriff Preito is a walking, talking-lawsuit. Three suits for sexual harassment,and now we have a possible homophobe Sheriff with a gun & badge, which plays well with the possible sexual harassment claims. He’s a man’s man, and ain’t no one’s fool, but himself; of course.

    Preito appears to be big liability for the county & it’s citizens, as he models his style of law enforcement for all of his subordinates to take their cues. Preito appears to exist in a delusional bubble that whatever he says is the truth, he’s the Sheriff, right. We all trust law enforcement. Look at the West Sac PD rapist and cohorts. They do not work for us.

    How can Preito actually conduct the business of sheriff, when he’s entangled in all these legal cases? And how much time, resources and money will the Sheriff cost us? Preito’s “story” simple does not wash, he feared being attacked and took off his jacket and flashed his badge, does this Sheriff not have something else to do? Two comparable, pint sized gay guys fresh out of court who are on the mean streets of Woodside are physically tangling with the old man, c’mon, wake-up People. Recall Preiito and kick him to the curb.

    Yolo DA will step up to the plate, and the DA & Sheriff, can serve up a Whopper, double cheese, extra extra bacon, together. The Yolo court with their own ethical problems will go right along with the criminal scheme. Another day in Yolo county.

    Yolo sheriff faces third lawsuit, second sexual harassment case

    http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_23643241/yolo-sheriff-faces-third-lawsuit-second-sexual-harassment

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