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DA files charges against El Dorado County supervisor


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By Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee

El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting has been booked into jail on an arrest warrant alleging perjury and other charges.

A press release from the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office today said Nutting was arrested Tuesday on two counts of filing false documents, perjury relating to failure to disclose income and having a financial interest in a county contract and failing to recuse himself from voting.

Nutting is scheduled to be arraigned June 10 in El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville.

Nutting has been under fire after reports surfaced that he took state money for clearing brush on his 340-acre property.

El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting has been arrested. Photo/LTN file

El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting has been arrested. Photo/LTN file

Several local leaders have spoken out against Nutting, whom they accuse of subverting state funds for personal use.

At issue is whether Nutting legitimately obtained taxpayer dollars for fire prevention work he did on his own Happy Valley Road property in Somerset.

Nutting has denied any wrongdoing.

The supervisor applied for the funds through the California Forest Improvement Program, which is administered by the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection through local conservation agencies. Under the program, landowners with plots between 20 and 5,000 acres can seek reimbursement – usually 75 percent – for the cost of fire prevention work, such as brush clearing.

The invoices Nutting submitted show that the state paid a total of $70,000 for two projects in 2003 and 2009. A third proposal is pending and will cost just under $50,000.

CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant noted that the program allows landowners to get paid for doing work themselves on their own property.

One controversy stems from the way Nutting applied for reimbursements. A May 2009 invoice appears to have been written by the supervisor himself, according to public records obtained by the Bee.

El Dorado County Auditor-Controller Joe Harn said he believes the invoice is invalid and violates the California False Claims Act.

As a part of the fallout from the controversy, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office launched its own investigation into the matter.

The state has reimbursed property owners for fire prevention work since the late 1970s, Berlant said.

Since 1999, the state has distributed about 1,000 grants for fire prevention work to various individuals. The funding source varies year to year, but most recently came from Proposition 40, a measure passed by voters in 2002 that provides local grants to protect California’s water and air.

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Comments (8)
  1. Firebreaker says - Posted: May 28, 2013

    When will the DA file charges against Dennis Justin, ring leader , main perp and bounty hunter? They got Doug Lewis, but cover up for Dennis Justin of the Carson City, Justin Brothers Bail Bonds. If you see the CRIME SCENE tape at the South Tahoe courthouse (DA office) that’s me protesting again. Gee whiz, it started with the SLTPD and continues into the District Attorney office. Come on Vern Pierson and Bill Clark, wake up and do the right things.

  2. Justice says - Posted: May 29, 2013

    The DA did right in this case for charging Nutting and should be given credit for a good investigation as public official corruption is something that has been pervasive on both sides of the county.

    The case with the out of state bounty hunters crossing state lines and attempting to serve an out of state warrant needs a little more media attention and investigation, has anyone in the South Lake Police Department provided their version of how this occured, and what their knowledge and action or lack of action regarding this was?

  3. Sick of Corrutpion says - Posted: May 30, 2013

    Truly, human reaction to government corruption manifests a phenomenon. All of a sudden, people who typically can conduct rational business providing a living for their families, all of a sudden, something mysterious happens, and all reason and logic is lost. I think this goes back to Aristotle, who studied this phenomenon. Stanford School of philosophy web site dissertation on philosophy makes the claim that those who ignore the study of log “do not have the ” intellectual resources” to make sound judgment. In other words the Jury is easily influenced and can make the wrong decision causing unjust harm. All the same, here is the direct quote that reveals the origin of the conundrum that creates the phenomenon. “Certain uses of dialectic apply qualified endoxa, i.e., endoxa that are approved by experts, while rhetoric aims at endoxa that are popular. Rhetoric must take into account that its target group has only restricted intellectual resources, whereas such concerns are totally absent from dialectic.” End Quote.

    Apparently, it really does doe’s take scholastic dedication in the study of logic to be a rational juror in order to make decisions that do not harm the innocent. in USA this is not a requirement, and realize who is the beneficiary of this oversight? Then there were the Sophists. Sophistry is the art of deception, or commonly defined as ” deceptively subtle reasoning or argumentation; an argument used to deceive …” So we know that Stanford teaches highly educated people, law students, or philosophers, that most of those who ignore “the study of logic” are aware of the lack of “intellectual resources.” The average American would take pride in knowing that democracy allows citizen juror’s who do not have to follow logic as a discipline. I was proud of that once. The average cunning business man who see’s a mass of citizens whose “…target group has only restricted intellectual resources…” according to Stanford University, the cunning business man becomes aware that the world is his oyster, a golden corrupt opportunity (the golden rule) because they can influence citizens and take what they want “subtly” by engaging in “sophistry.” When I learned this, once you get in the gun sights of these “Sophists” or cunning businesspersons or politicians, it is a terrifying realization, especially inquisitions like these, because the jury is the victims best hope, where they are forced to “take the deal.” Justice has been barred entrance to redress of grievance, in USA justice and intellectuals that run the gambit in local government, rely on pawns void of intellectual resources to cut the throats, not of the guilty, but the perception of guilt.

    This was easier to understand when 10 decades ago, these pawns would picnic with their children at hangings and executions for entertainment. Now its on the television! but nothing has changed in the hearts of humans. In fact its getting worse.

    Those who have assumed that this discourse is accusing them of stupidity i.e. lack of intellectual resources, but take offense; you again, have failed miserably in parsing logic. Some will ad hominem attack the messenger; this is the reaction of a pawn. The “intellectual resource” in actuality, is present in the hearts of wicked dark hearted tyrants, who know better, but take advantage of the bandwagon of pawns who will do the stealing and misappropriation of property for them believing in some holy right that was their duty. To, me, understanding the difference in logic and sophistry will create a better world, but it is reserved our leaders as an elective, no pun intended! Therefore, you see, instead of it being used for good, politicians to extort truth in order to gain personal property for them and their officers typically use it.

    Ray Nuttings attorney is quoted in the Sac Bee, ” He will never be convicted by a jury.” But he also is quoted as stating, ” He said the charges stemmed from innocent errors in paperwork…” This is an admission that their is wrong doing, but “it’s an innocent mistake.” It’s not the fact that Nutting used the “Welfare system for the rich,” Land Stamps,” if you will, to get money to clear property for yours and my personal safety, (oh how thoughtful) that is the charge, its the paperwork signed under penalty of perjury that may be at hand, but we don’t know. However, his attorney gave credence to the charges, and is admittedly relying on a “jury” (psst the pawns…shhhh) to fix the “errors in paper work nunc pro tunc. The only way to get nunc pro tunc is to pay “intellectuals” to convince pawns to correct willful or mistaken errors as if they didn’t happen. Those who need this service who do not qualify for rich mans state welfare for free “land stamps” (a play on the term “food stamps) have to serve prison terms even if the alleged fraud (possible clerical error) was a mistake. However, it looks like that 70,000.00 dollars, which will end up in the pockets of the Intellectuals, may have pre purchased nunc pro tunc, and also saved us from burning in a forest fire! Those who are receiving attorney fees and criminal justice county paychecks laugh all the way to the bank!
    Vern Pierson is a master of this craft of “intellectual resources.” The Supreme Court makes him aware that he can abuse power. For instance, the ACLU notes, “The willingness of some prosecutors to withhold evidence that would likely exculpate criminal defendants, or as in the Pottawattamie case, to deliberately fabricate evidence to frame criminal suspects is a reality of our criminal justice system,” (Sherrilyn Ifill, Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Lawk). This is in response to Connick v. Thompson, 563 U.S. ___ (2011), a death row case. Are you shocked yet? In Connick, the Supreme Court gave prosecutors “absolute sovereign immunity” is they are caught framing defendants. Now the most powerful tyranny in the world is a local D.A. in a county equally shared with State and Federal Prosecutors. The other failsafe is that judicial mistakes, even if willful criminal obstruction of justice, typically is called “reversible error.” There is no deterrence to corruption in the Justice system, that is where the activism needs to focus, not on whether an accused defendant is guilty or not. What a waste and smoke and mirror the pawns never see.
    So the issue isn’t weather Ray Nutting is guilty or not. It is that no matter what criminal act Vern Pierson could do to prosecute Ray Nutting, or anybody else in the county, He is “absolutely immune.” Abuse of power is a criminal act in violation of 18 USC, but nobody will prosecute criminals with a badge. Oh except real men and woman, non cowards in Orange County. Yet not one individual in El Dorado County see’s this as a problem, as it is absent from any debate in this forum anywhere, excluding myself, ahem. All of you opinionated individuals do not even know it exists. You think the problem is Ray Nutting got money and you didn’t! How petty! If I were you, I would focus on the fact that “obstructing a grand jury investigation” centered on government corruption by James Wagoner actually occurred, and Wagoner has been found guilty by the CJP. We know that it is a felony that sent Orange County elected official sheriff Mike Carona to prison, jerking the slack (corruption) out of officials in Orange County, who are now behaving. But we also know that Vern Pierson is allowing James Wagoner to have grace and freedom from prosecution? This encourages others to cultivate this corruption! We could reverse this criminal boldness very easily! FREEDOM AND JUSTICE IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, BUT YOU HAVE TO STOP ACTING LIKE A PAWN! Immunity does not cover prosecution, only liability! Enquist v. Oregon US 2008, a precedence set to require a “rational basis” to allow a setting Judge who “obstructs grand jury’s” to be influenced and in conflict of interest to fix cases for a prosecutor who is supposed to arrest him. What is the basis? Vern Pierson can control by abuse of power the outcomes of James Wagoner’s cases to make Vern Pierson look good, but violating blind justice and real due process because Wagoner has no more judicial independence! This is the problem that can easily solve El Dorado county’s problems, because there is no question as to the facts. The Judicial Counsel has public stated that James Wagoner interfered with a grand jury investigation. If you are really concerned about corrupt government in El Dorado County, here is the smoking Gun. The rest of up to you! Or do you just enjoy whining year after year like pawns?

  4. Sick of Corrutpion says - Posted: May 30, 2013

    I might add, until we individually drop our own personal victimization we will remain divided as a force. The issue gets muddled up in explaining legal theory about all the particulars that have occurred during the victimization. You will learn to drop them and follow strategem, and identify the source of their right to abuse i.e. “the mastery of the empire,” if you will. Then we could unite and attack that in press, in harmony and defeat these crooks!

    Read Sun Tzu “Art of War” Chapter 3 v. 5-7. Here’s a quote, perhaps it will make sense.

    “The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.
    Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.
    With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.”

  5. Alex Campbell says - Posted: May 30, 2013

    Hey Joe Harn ! You do remember Bruce Ashwill, he passed last year. Have you checked out his 600 acres in Shingle Springs for taxpayer fire prevention work ?
    You do remember the Dan Lundgren Barbara Ashwill and Mark Neilson connection.
    John Upton in the past was a big land owner, have you checked his fire prevention work?

  6. Firebreaker says - Posted: May 30, 2013

    Original story: http://www.inedc.com/1-4705
    Broad Support, and lack of objectors, indicate a widespread belief among the public that there is some kind of corruption in the administration of fair and equal justice in El Dorado County.
    Placerville Newswire | May 21 2013

    Placeville Newswire Note: I observed the protest for about one hour and during that time about 20% of the passing vehicles yelled out expressing support for the protesters. One patron having lunch with his wife at the Pizzeria across the street expressed support for the protest but with this caveat, “Good Luck, they do what they want in El Dorado County.” It was clear that there was widespread public perception that there was some form of corruption in the administration of justice in El Dorado County.

  7. Alex Campbell says - Posted: May 30, 2013

    Firebraker
    In answer to your last para !! It certainly is and was
    OLLIE !
    The Good Old Mountain Demogographic says it all and has
    covered up the facts ,adnauseam.

  8. Firebreaker says - Posted: June 1, 2013

    RE: “The case with the out of state bounty hunters crossing state lines and attempting to serve an out of state warrant needs a little more media attention and investigation”. It was covered on this website and my website http://NevadaStatePersonnelWATCH.wordpress.com

    The SLTPD slow-balled the investigation and tried to cover up the situation. A public records act filing was done by the local media and finally charges were filed against only one of five people involved. The main perpetrator, Dennis Justin, was not charged.

    The DA Vern Pierson and his side kick Bill Clark are trying to allege Dennis Justin was not at the crime scene. This is another bad attempt to cover up Dennis Justin’s involvement. Even Dennis Justin admits he was there, the police report states Dennis Justin was there and his lawyers says he was there.

    As of May 31, the DA is stalling this case and not producing discovery! I went to a hearing and the DA threatens me calling the place his courthouse! I reminded him is ‘our courthouse’ NOT HIS! This played out to the crowd in attendance. The DA office looks very, very bad right now.