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    Back to Orange County Line

    Orange County Line

    OC Judge versus OC Sheriff Deputies

    Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals takes on the Sheriff

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    By Gustavo Arellano • Oct 17, 2016 • 4m Listen

    A year an a half ago, Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals made an extraordinary charge in the courtroom when he claimed that OC sheriff deputies Ben Garcia and Seth Tunstall "either intentionally lied or willfully withheld material evidence from this court" regarding the county's jailhouse snitch scandal. Today, those two deputies remain on the job, having never been sanctioned by OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens while the California attorney general continues its own investigation. Hutchens, for her part, said Goethals "went a little too far in his comments" during a forum in March. The controversy of Garcia and Tunstall--who have invoked the 5th amendment during trials that have led to the overturning of convictions--also extends to Kamala Harris, who critics are accusing of being soft on the OCDA's office as she runs for Senate. Will anything happen?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gustavo Arellano

      columnist, LA Times

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Benjamin Gottlieb

      Reporter, Fill-in Host

      CultureNewsOrange County
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