What’s more interesting the 2013-2014 Yolo County Grand Jury Report or the reaction to it?
The Grand Jury report characterizes Yolo County sheriff Ed Prieto’s administration as being out of the ‘Wild, Wild West’. The Grand Jury looked into Prieto allegedly at the urging of the County Board of Supervisors who were concerned about the Sheriff’s department used up more human resources time than any other department in Yolo County. In the past couple of years Prieto has been sued on at least three separate occasions for creating a hostile work environment and/or sexual harrasment. According to a Sacramento Bee article:
The allegations are serious: sexual harassment, intimidation, disregarding state labor practices and creating a hostile workforce where some of Prieto’s subordinates – sworn peace officers who carry guns – are afraid to speak against him without the protection of anonymity.
But the allegations against Prieto are not even close to being the worst aspect of this story. Big sections of the grand jury report against Prieto are a joke and Yolo County supervisors, who asked for the report, weren’t happy with the slim results.
Just getting the grand jury report done was a chore because some key figures wanted no part of it.
Saylor and Rexroad wanted Jeff Reisig, the Yolo County district attorney, to investigate Prieto, but they said they soon learned that Reisig took a pass due to his close relationship with Prieto. Reisig was unavailable for comment.
Prieto is so friendly with leading Yolo County legal leaders that supervisors had to rely on a grand jury that clearly whiffed on its assignment – and there is no law-enforcement body with any teeth in place to step in.
