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Thursday, December 1, 2005

THERESA DANG ACQUITTED OF ALL CRIMINAL CHARGES

WESTMINSTER, CA -- After a day of deliberation at the
West Justice Center, a mostly white, middle-aged jury
composed of engineers, homemakers, and administrative
assistants found Theresa Dang, 26, of Westminster,
California, ”not guilty,” on two misdemeanor theft
charges for allegedly stealing a flashlight that was
“lost” by a police officer at a Wednesday, May 25,
2005 counterdemonstration against Minuteman founder
Jim Gilchrist in Garden Grove.

“The jury realized this case had nothing to do with a
lost flashlight,” said Duane J. Roberts, one of the
organizers of the May 25th counterdemonstration. “They
saw that this was a politically-motivated charge
brought forth by the Garden Grove Police Department
against Dang for exercising her constitutional rights
of free speech and assembly."

Not only was the Deputy District Attorney handling the
case unable to offer any conclusive evidence proving
the flashlight in question was owned by a Garden Grove
Police officer, but testimony made under oath suggests
they have a “shoot first, ask questions later policy.”

“It appears that Garden Grove Police put the cart
before the horse,” said Roberts. “In their zeal to
persecute Dang for her outspoken criticism of the way
they handled themselves on the night of May 25th, they
filed criminal charges against her before
conducting a thorough investigation of all the facts.
If they had been seriously interested in doing the
latter, they would have found out she committed no
crimes.”

In comments that Orange County Superior Court Judge
Erick L. Larsh made during the jury selection process,
an average trial like this costs California taxpayers
about $22,000 per day.

“Taxpayers should be outraged that Orange County
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas wasted an estimated
$50,000 in court expenses to bring this case to
trial,” said Roberts. “That’s enough money to buy
every officer on the Garden Grove Police force with
three shiny new flashlights of the exact same make and
model they claimed that Dang stole several months
ago.”

Roberts further adds: “District Attorney Rauckauckas
needs to drop pending criminal charges against three
other men arrested on the night of May 25th by Garden
Grove Police officers. The enormous amount of
ill-will, mistrust, and negative publicity generated
by the Dang case has tainted the credibility of that
police force so badly that I doubt their testimony
will be useful in convicting anybody. After seeing for
myself firsthand what they did to Theresa, I seriously
doubt any of these young men committed any crimes."

Duane J. Roberts
duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com

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