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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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