The following is only a partial list of arrests made between Oct. 27 and Nov. 15, 2007, of those who failed to make their court appearance as "promised" (Source: Ledger Dispatch Arrest Log) on charges ranging from misdemeanor drunk driving to felony drug possession and more:
Christine Pulido, failure to appear.
Renee Michelle Morrison, failure to appear.
Lisa Dawn Wright, failure to appear.
Jesse Anthony Chavarria, failure to appear.
Steve John Harris, failure to appear.
Roger Wyatt Adams, failure to appear.
Vernon Lloyd Correa, failure to appear.
Kelly Anne Vanalstine, failure to appear.
Noah Joseph Flores, failure to appear.
Larry Joe Bradford Sr., failure to appear.
Somvang Disouryavong, failure to appear.
Ruperto Chavarria Ordaz, failure to appear.
Robert James Ramsey, failure to appear.
I doubt many, if any, of those listed above just turned themselves in, but more likely were contacted by law enforcement concerning another matter, and then only after a records check was it discovered they had an outstanding warrant. The question we all have to ask ourselves is why in the first place were they contacted again. Could it be they were a suspect in another crime?
We'll have to accept that those released from custody on their "promise to appear" or sooner than their scheduled release date from custody, referred to as an "early kick," will be the status quo until something is done about the overcrowding in our archaic jail. There has been plenty of talk, but as far as I know, that's all there has been. Our planners need to look beyond tomorrow, next week or next year, but 10, 20 years from now. The only thing guaranteed by putting off the inevitable and waiting to build a new jail is that it will cost more.
It's said money brings out the worst in people and I believe this holds true with some of our county leaders, because it sometimes seems that the price tag is the only issue taken into account by our board of supervisors when making decisions, leaving common sense and growth somewhere along the roadside. I'll again use our new courthouse as an example. Other than "cost effective," why would you build it so far from the jail, and even more important, who in their right mind would build a courthouse across the street from a day care and high school? Have our leaders just put our children in harm's way to save a buck?
Granted, cost and where the money will come from for a new jail is and should be of major concern. No one wants to live beyond their means and go in debt, but this time I don't think we can afford not to. It's time for Amador County to change its strategy and start investing in our future. The brief fixes in place to deal with the jail overcrowding are like the boy who put his finger in the dike to stop the leak, temporarily delaying the inevitable flood.
We all need to get involved in the decision making process instead of leaving our future to the chosen five, and unless we participate by attending their meetings to engage in the discussion and debate for or against a particular issue or project, we have no right to complain of the outcome. I know this is hard for those of us that work to attend board meetings that are usually held during the day in the middle of the week, so maybe our first proposal to the "board" should be for them to hold their meetings in the evening, when more than those who are retired are able to attend. Remember, they are our elected officials, they work for us, so shouldn't we be able to set their hours?