Hello, my name is Karyn Dunn and I am a law enforcement officer in the state of California. I was also a good friend of Lynn Thornton, a recent retiree from a 25+ year career in law enforcement, who was killed by the boat driven by Lake County Sheriff’s Captain Russell Perdock in 2006.

Mr. Perdock will likely never be brought to justice. I hold Sheriff Rodney Mitchell responsible for this terrible and shameful injustice. On June 8, you can too by voting for Francisco Rivero for sheriff.

Mr. Mitchell protected his employee, Russ Perdock, who was second in command at the time of Lynn’s death. I believe Mr. Perdock will never be held accountable for Lynn’s death, which is a grave injustice.

As many of you may know, Bismarck Dinius, who was on the sailboat with Lynn Thornton, was wrongly charged. A jury of Lake County citizens acquitted him – this after a three-year delay in bringing the case to trial and satisfying the statue of limits protecting the man really at fault. The Lake County people on the jury did the right thing in acquitting Mr. Dinius. Rodney Mitchell did not do the right thing by Lynn Thornton, her son, family and friends, or the people of Lake County.

Unfortunately, unless perjury or some other illegal act can be proven, it’s too late to bring Russell Perdock to justice. It was Rodney Mitchell’s job to bring charges forward at the right time. He should have presented a case to the district attorney against his captain, Russell Perdock, just as he did against Mr. Dinius. After all, it was Perdock, who crashed into the sailboat at a high rate of speed in the dark of night. It was Sheriff Mitchell who also did not do the right thing and no amount of explaining can rationalize away his failure!

On June 8, 2010, vote Mitchell out of office!

Frank Rivero is the only active sheriff’s deputy with the strength of character and conviction to speak out against this and other injustices under the leadership of Rodney Mitchell.

Isn’t it time for good character and moral standards to win? Please vote in remembrance of Lynn Thornton.

Karyn Dunn lives in Citrus Heights, Calif.