A registered sex offender who was believed to be the suspicious person spotted on a Sunnyvale school campus in January has been cleared in the case and is no longer in jail, a prosecutor said today.
Theodore ____ ____, 42, of San Jose, was released from the Santa Clara County Main Jail on Feb. 24 after prosecutors concluded that he did not visit the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School in Sunnyvale on Dec. 20, Deputy District Attorney Brian Welch said.
A prosecutor assigned to ___ case came to that conclusion after reviewing surveillance video taken at the school and interviewing people who were in the school office that day, Welch said. Full Article
Proper police procedure is clearly to arrest, charge, and attempt to prosecute a person, then look at the evidence (videotape).
So he gets released and that’s it? Is there a penalty, fine or compensation owed to this individual for being chewed up in the process? I certainly hope so. Does anyone know if he is entitled to losses incurred? Any number of things could have gone wrong as a result of this over-reactive and presumptuous detainment such as loss of housing, employment. How may this have impacted his family, especially his children?
How much compassion does the law provide for those negatively impacted by ‘the system’. I think we all know that answer painfully well…
There gonna have to name a building for the wrongly accused there…flashing script name Vegas loud…of course a big fat check for the wrongly accused ….I love it.
Unfortunately this same thing happened to someone I know a few years ago and it’s guilty until proven innocent.
How is this even possible?
This makes me sick. I hope he can sue for damages!
How much could the bail have been for a misdemeanor charge and why couldn’t this person have been released on their own recognizance?
As I read it, the suspect was confined for over one month for being poor and being a registered citizen.
If he had been a multiple convicted car thief caught with burglary tools in his possession he would have been released the next morning.
Shame on the public registry and those who dispense it for bringing such injustice to a fellow human being.
Disgusting treatment, but it is to be anticipated. I hope this man sues the holy crap out of the district. At some point, the money’s going to run out from the cities and other municipalities, districts, business, etc., because of valid lawsuits by registered citizens against them for false arrests, accusations, refusal of service. We know Janice, so be afraid, be very afraid!
Alan Selis, Headmaster of the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, was eager to jump in from of the TV cameras and talk with such pride about how well they know all their families and how careful they are.
“Once he was confronted by the senior leaders of the school, he left on his own,” Selis said. “I think that’s what people like this do. They look for the weak link. So he didn’t find that with us. And that’s why he went away so quickly.” The local Bay Area NBC station went further and interviewed the registrant’s victim from 20 years ago.
I have seen nothing on the web that indicates that any news stations has gone on the air to report about the false accusation.
Police officers have immunity. Probably nothing the guy can do. What a shame…
The guy can sue big ..BIG..the school staff and school district and county for the false accusation…they in No way are getting away of making a tremendous public funded mistake…they got it wrong ..far wrong.
I think this is a highly disturbing article! I remember many years back a man who worked for the City of Long Beach was arrested as a serial rapists! He was positively picked out in line ups, treated like garbage and his face was plastered all over the TV and newspapers! Well, they did a DNA test. Negative. He was caucasian and released. He was not a happy camper. THey later found the African American man who was guilty of these crimes! Go figure. I believe he later filed a lawsuit and I can only wonder what the police where thinking.