Wow! What a kind, logical man you are to slam the DSA and their ability to think clearly and rationally. As long as you are citing statistics, why not be above board and cite how few voted at the VPOA meeting?

*Visalia Police Officer’s Association and the Visalia Police Chief by virtue of his membership in the police chief Association both support Mr. Ward.

The Visalia Police Department endorses Tim Ward.

The Police Chief’s endorse Tim Ward. This organization includes Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and works with Tim on a daily basis. This organization also clearly understands the importance of leadership training and experience. They know who has the training and experience and who does not.

The DSA is an organization of 500 and about ten percent voted.

I am fairly certain that the people who voted in the DSA were not thinking about the lack of experience when voting, nor about Darby’s clear failure to understand where prosecutorial priorities should fall in terms of gangs and major narc prosecutions.

The Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association has endorsed Sheriff Mike Boudreaux for Sheriff.

The Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association has endorsed Matt Darby for District Attorney.

The Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association chose not to endorse Tim Ward.

It says a lot when several hundred brave men and women who put their lives on the line every single day they put on their bulletproof vests and strap on their holsters decide that NO, Tim Ward is NOT the right person to serve the needs of justice in Tulare County.

I will not and cannot talk about pending trials. If Florida was not a factor then I am sure he would have ended up on our death row here along with Christopher Cheary and Juan Ramon Sanchez. I am hope and expect our recent initiative will speed the process, however, if we kept Martinez here for trial I doubt we would actually get a verdict for four or five more years in the future. I am fully aware of my duties and it is to bring justice – in this case the fastest route to justice is in Florida, not California. And, unlike Mr Darby when dismissing a robbery case for a plea in another separate case with a separate victim in the middle of trial, I actually met with the families of our victims and we discussed all possible options.

But your (and Ward’s) duty is to Tulare County residents/voters, NOT Florida. You dropped the ball. You let an actual honest to God serial killer off with a life sentence. Meanwhile, YOU seek a death sentence for a women in a tumultuous relationship who killed (if found guilty) one person. Good job. There’s that excellent Ward/Alavezos judgment I keep reading about.

“If you want to take this to another round, let’s go”???

I am fairly certain you have heard the phrase “the truth is an absolute defense”. And if you are a logical person you would have to agree that a reputation is based on information which is not always either accurate or complete. I have observed statements by the challenger and his supporters that are inaccurate and/or incomplete.

You will notice my posts are not filled with name calling and instead detail facts, some of which allow for logical inferences such as why the challenger may have left the office.

– It is a fact that the challenger has never been a Supervising Attorney, Program Coordinator or Assistant District Attorney at Tulare Co or in his current place of employment
– It is a fact that his bio posted by the “Tulare County Republican Women Federated Facebook page” follows his progression through the office and ends with a statement that he was assigned as the “Violence Against Women Homicide Prosecutor” (detailing five cases he prosecuted while assigned to that position, the last being the case he took a plea in which resulted in his dismissal of the robbery case).
– It is a fact that this assignment progression track stops and is immediately followed by his statement that he joined Kings Co in 2015
– It is a fact that he was not the domestic violence homicide prosecutor when he left Tulare Co, and that he never took a murder case to trial in Tulare Co though assigned to a homicide position for sixteen months
– It is a fact that he dismissed a robbery case without discussing with the robbery victim prior to the plea in a case he was in trial on, and without consulting with the assistant district attorney. This is both a violation of office policy and disrespectful to the victim.
– It is a fact he was reassigned from 187 DV prosecutor to general felonies following his action of dismissing the robbery case
– It is a fact that he resigned from the office weeks after reassignment
– It is a fact that I prosecuted the murder case he was supposed to start on the Monday following his last day in our office
– It is a fact that case was not prepared for trial, something he fully knows and, at one time, was embarrassed about and apologized over
– It is a fact that his page requested donations in the amounts of $5 or $10
– It is a fact that he and his supporters claim big money donations influence investigation and prosecution decisions.
– It is a fact that he has two donations totaling $15,000 from two separate business entities that share the same address
– It is a fact that $15,000 is magnitudes higher than $10
– It is a fact that I personally told deputies they do not have to sign letters of support and it would not hurt their future with the office if they did not sign such a document (I know at least one current supervisor who was promoted after the election though she did not sign an endorsement letter at the time)
– It is a fact that contested elections in a DA Office where all attorneys are “at will” are stressful for line deputies who worry what will happen to them if their boss loses his or her job

I know well what can happen to a Deputy DA should an elected DA lose an election. I moved to Tulare County 19 years ago after my former boss lost an election to a man who spent time in federal prison following a conviction for failure to pay his taxes. I supported my former boss publicly, pointing out that a person who is paid out of tax monies should at least pay their taxes; and, that the elected DA should not have spent more time in custody than most defendants who he would be prosecuting if he won. He won and demanded a letter of resignation four days after taking office. I was offered a job with Tulare Co later that same day and was very thankful. I would never pressure anyone to publicly support an elected since I know what the cost of that support can be, but I do not regret the support I gave my former boss and I will continue to support Tim Ward as he is a proven leader who I know has made difficult but correct decisions.

P.S. – As for your inference that tax payer money and pressure was exerted on the supervisors in the last election, of which I was one, I can state that no tax payer money was spent, I signed it on my own time, and I was more than willing since I knew both candidates very well, and then as in this situation, Tim Ward was and is the only reasonable choice.

Since you bring up the case and I was asked about this specifically elsewhere I checked on the Hvass file. The first thing I looked at was the 8 page statement on aggravation filed by our office asking the court for a 12 year prison sentence.

Next I noticed two specific errors in the information you stated: 1) defendant was sentenced by the court to eight years in prison where he still resides (you can confirm using the CDC-R inmate locator website and his name) not the three years you claim; and 2) the defense attorney you mentioned was on the case from the outset.

Also, though mentioned, you do not clearly state it, the second attorney was in Court representing the interests of the victim, which by law in this case was the mother. The mother expressed that she did not believe we should be asking for prison time at all.

I also reviewed the plea and sentencing transcripts along with the statement in mitigation filed by the defense attorney with the court and noted more than 60 community members wrote letters of support for the defendant Mr Hvass, two of those letters came from Mr Darby’s family, which asked for a suspended sentence and probation.

The court did not give the twelve year sentence our office requested, specifically mentioning the support the defendant received from family and the community when sentencing sentencing the defendant to eight years in prison, a community that included Mr Darby’s family.

Anyone who has personal knowledge of this case would at least know the defendant was sentenced to eight years in prison where he still sits. It seems fair to say that Darby supporters are being intentionally fed false facts for a reason since I have seen this case mentioned in at least three locations in the last couple of days.

In that case didn’t Hvass plead and the judge gave him 8 years while the prosecuting attorney argued for more time?

Alex by your analysis are you insinuating that the judge was corrupt along with the district attorney and defense attorney?

Wait…hold on a minute isn’t this the case where Matt Darby’s family wrote letters of support for the defendant and talked about his great character?

I think its time for the Valley Voice to get one of those freedom of information requests and get those letters of support, or can we just get from the public court records?

Would be good to know what they said about this horrible defendant as it definitely would show this family’s inability to accurately judge character.

Certainly shows Darby wouldn’t have done better and probably helped the judge give a lighter sentence.

Alex, Rachel,

In that case didn’t Hvass plead and the judge gave him 8 years while the prosecuting attorney argued for more time?

Alex by your analysis are you insinuating that the judge was corrupt along with the district attorney and defense attorney?

Wait…hold on a minute isn’t this the case where Matt Darby’s family wrote letters of support for the defendant and talked about his great character?

I think its time for the Valley Voice to get one of those freedom of information requests and get those letters of support, or can we just get from the public court records?

Would be good to know what they said about this horrible defendant as it definitely would show this family’s inability to accurately judge character.

Certainly shows Darby wouldn’t have done better and probably helped the judge give a lighter sentence.