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David
Singer
Barbara Yook
Challenger puts DA
on the defensive
By
Nick Baptista
An alleged sub-par conviction rate on felony cases was a heated
topic when the two candidates for Calaveras County District Attorney
debated at last week’s forum in Valley Springs hosted by the Calaveras
County Taxpayers Association.
Challenger David Singer said nearly one in three felony
filings in Calaveras County never reach prosecution and there is a
feeling among the public the D.A.’s office is soft on prosecuting
criminals.
“Where is that coming from?” was appointed incumbent Barbara
Yook’s response. “I’m endorsed by the Deputy Sheriff’s
Association and the Angels Camp Police Officer’s Association and that
matters more than some unknown person’s perception.”
Singer at the May 3 candidates’ night pointed to neighboring
counties that he said had higher prosecution rates, such as Amador were
84.6 percent of felonies filed end in convictions.
“This is not acceptable to me and that’s why I’m
running,” said Singer, who has been endorsed by the Calaveras County
Republican Party and retired Sheriff Dennis Downum.
“I make decisions based on the facts, what’s right, what the
victim wants,” Yook said, “and I’m not afraid to dismiss if
that’s the right thing to do. It’s about justice and doing what’s
right.”
Singer also questioned Yook’s judgment on when and when not to
take a case to trial, such as the James Allison Livezey trial where a
jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter, instead of the D.A.’s
charge of second-degree murder.
He estimated the D.A.’s office spent $150,000 to prosecute the
case.
“The witnesses were horrible,” Singer said. “That’s when
you save money by knowing what the case is worth.”
Yook said the evidence showed Livezey killed Marvin Brown and had
threatened to harm others if he had been released from custody.
“I’m not about to let a murderer out,” she added.
Both candidates said they support the death penalty. Yook warned
there is an initiative that would end the death penalty and it would be
retroactive to the approximately 700 convicts on death row.
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