California IN BRIEF : SANTA ANA : Sheriff Won’t Be Jailed for Contempt

A Superior Court judge refused for the second time to send Sheriff Brad Gates to jail for contempt of court, a move that at least temporarily lifts the legal cloud over the sheriff’s head. In April, Central Municipal Court Presiding Judge Richard W. Stanford Jr. convicted Gates of contempt and sentenced him to 30 days in jail and fined him $17,000. The convictions were because certain prisoners were released early to relieve overcrowding in the county jail system. Superior Court Judge Eileen C. Moore, who presided over Monday’s hearing, noted that Gates has not willfully violated the law, but rather has done his best to deal with a difficult situation.