Sunday, December 9, 2007

"She wasn't just our little girl..." (sniff, tremble)

The OC Register’s piece on IVC's "hometown hero" Mike Carona (Mike Carona's risky business) is definitely worth a read. Some excerpts:
George H. Jaramillo had emigrated from Ecuador with his widowed mother and twin brother at age 5. As a Garden Grove police officer, he dreamed of being a lawyer. As a lawyer, he dreamed of being the county's youngest judge, or even its sheriff. He had considered running against Carona until the two men met; their philosophies, goals and personalities dovetailed, and Jaramillo decided the best way to the sheriff's seat might be by supporting Carona and eventually succeeding him. ¶ Donald Haidl was a hardscrabble high school dropout who built a multimillion-dollar empire auctioning used government vehicles. He had law enforcement dreams of his own, and a desire to run with the big dogs. He had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the sheriff in San Bernardino, and was proud of his reserve officer's badge. ¶ Jaramillo brought Carona street cred. Haidl brought Carona cash. In the trench warfare, the three men dubbed themselves "Team Forever."

This, federal prosecutors allege, is when the conspiracy to elect Carona and use his office for financial gain, and to reward friends and political supporters, began.

…Carona charmed the board of supervisors as well. For more than 50 years, only captains with at least two years of service could become assistant sheriffs. Jaramillo had been a lieutenant in Garden Grove for less than a day. Haidl was an honorary captain in the San Bernardino County sheriff's reserves. Carona convinced the supervisors to lower the bar, and Jaramillo and Haidl became assistant sheriffs.

…When 5-year-old Samantha Runnion was dragged off screaming on July 15, 2002, Carona was thrust onto the national stage. He held vigil beside Samantha's mother as she pleaded for the kidnapper to return Samantha safely. After Samantha's body was found, Carona leveled an accusatory finger at a bank of TV cameras and spoke directly to the killer: "Don't sleep. Don't eat. We're coming after you." ¶ The arrest of suspect Alejandro Avila quickly followed, and Carona became a superstar. He was invited to the White House. Praised by the president. Dubbed "America's Sheriff" by CNN's Larry King. Thousands packed the Crystal Cathedral for Samantha's televised memorial.

When Carona rose to deliver the eulogy for the little girl he'd never met, thousands rose with him in a thunderous standing ovation. Carona turned his back on the crowd, shaking his head no, waiting for the applause to stop. The Rev. Robert A. Schuller hugged him, and Carona turned back to face the crowd, wiping away tears. "She wasn't just our little girl," he said, his voice breaking. "She became America's little girl."….

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...