DA Tony Rackauckas: I'll Be Back
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| Beth Stirnaman |
| Rackauckas and Susan Schroeder |
To put it mildly, this scenario causes indigestion in certain circles. At the moment, the DA has no opposition and Schroeder, who enjoys a loyal friendship base, sparks both fear and contempt in her enemies. During the Haidl gang rape trial, one defense lawyer called her "satanic," complaining about her steadfast defense of the victim, a minor, in the case. Just last year, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens called her actions to assist reporters explore allegations of deputy misconduct in a brutality case "unprofessional." Wayne Quint, head of the local deputies' union, demanded that Schroeder be fired for, in his view, singling out deputy conduct for public scrutiny. The conduct in question was the DA's contention that deputies had lied under oath to protect a fellow deputy.
"If Susan Schroeder becomes the district attorney of Orange County, our criminal justice system will be in peril," said one veteran law enforcement official who asked not to be named in this story. "I'm serious."
Schroeder, whose husband Mike is the former chairman of the California Republican Party and a close personal Rackauckas friend, dismissed the worries.
"I'm not running for DA, period," she said. "The rumors are absolutely, categorically not true. I'm working very hard to re-elect Tony. He's going to be DA until at least 2014. That's what I'm totally committed to. That's the truth."
Rackauckas tells me that the rumor might have been inspired by the wishful thinking of his political enemies.
"While I haven't been really focused on campaigning yet, I'm not retiring," the DA--a former homicide prosecutor and judge--told me. "I'm running again and I'm optimistic that I can accomplish some more good things, particularly related to collecting DNA, during the next four years."
--R. Scott Moxley / OC Weekly
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