Sheriff’s domestic violence- related conviction erased
SAN FRANCISCO ( AP) — San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi no longer has a criminal record.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday that a judge granted his request to expunge his misdemeanor conviction for false imprisonment related to a domestic- violence incident with his wife. Removing a misdemeanor conviction from the record is a routine matter, and the San Francisco district attorney didn’t oppose the sheriff’s request.
Mirkarimi pleaded guilty to one count of false imprisonment and agreed to undergo counseling after leaving a bruise on his wife’s arm during an argument on New Year’s Eve 2011, a few days before he was to be sworn in as sheriff. A video by a n e i g h b o r r e c o r d e d his wife, Eliana Lopez, tearfully recounting the incident and turned the recording over to police. Lopez said she never meant for the recording to be given to police, and she didn’t cooperate with the investigation.
Lopez, a former Spanishlanguage soap opera star, is turning the incident into a one- person show called “What is the Scandal?” The show premiers in San Francisco next month.
Mirkarimi argues in court papers that his three years of probation expired in March and that he has stayed out of legal trouble the entire time. He argues that he “successfully complied with all terms and conditions” of his probation and that his criminal record should be expunged.
Such requests are routinely granted. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said he would not oppose the request because Mirkarimi shouldn’t be treated any differently than others in a similar situation.
The incident was highly publicized and led to calls for Mirkarimi’s resignation. Mayor Ed Lee suspended Mirkarimi from office and called for him to quit. Mirkarami went back on duty after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors fell one vote short of removing him from office.