Caught Again Tampering With Evidence, How Long Will Sheriff Moore’s Corruption Be Allowed to Continue?

By Frank Gayaldo

November 28, 2017

Yesterday a San Joaquin county forensic pathologist resigned because elected official Steve Moore has allegedly manipulated numerous murder investigations in a manner that is “illegal”. According to KQED, a public media outlet based in San Francisco, Dr. Susan Parson wrote in her resignation letter that Sheriff Moore “attempts to influence and control our professional judgment and conclusions” and had made her “day-to-day experience in the County personally unbearable and professionally unsustainable.”

When Dr. Parson writes “our professional judgment” she is referring to her colleague, world famous forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, whom the movie “Concussion” starring Will Smith was based upon.

This is not the first time Sheriff Moore’s behavior has been seriously questioned.

Hayward Police Detective Kevin Atkins testified under oath and on Bay Area television that Sheriff Moore obstructed his investigation into the death of 9 year old child Michaela Garecht.

Reno Police Detective Alan Fox testified under oath that Sheriff Moore obstructed his investigation into the death of Terri Ann Fourcher.

California State Senator Cathleen Galgiani testified under oath and on television that Sheriff Moore maliciously destroyed evidence in the Speed Freak Killer case.

Retired FBI Agent Jeff Rinek (whom has overseen over 500 violent crime scenes in his career and solved such high profile serial killer cases as the Yosemite Murders) has testified under oath and on television that Sheriff Steve Moore’s behavior in the Speed Freak Killer case was beyond inappropriate.

Deputy Carlos Prieto risked his career by providing the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office testimony that Sheriff Moore and others under his direct command embezzled evidence guns. Internal Sheriff Documentation obtained by 209 Times clearly demonstrates Sheriff Moore illegally sold fully automatic weapons and evidence guns, some against specific court order. (Tori Verber-Salazar admitted in writing that Deputy Prieto’s claims of guns getting stripped, sold and then purchased by deputies including Sheriff Moore at “substantial discounts” was “of concern”, but according to Mrs. Salazar somehow concluded these actions “were not illegal”.

Wayne Germann, an evidence software vendor who once handled San Joaquin County’s evidence room and still administers the evidence room software programs for numerous police agencies including the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and Stockton Police, has publicly claimed the Sheriff has lost over 10,000 pieces of evidence and created a second set of books that aided the Sheriff in a massive cover-up. A Grand Jury investigative report that even a Record columnist described as being “half-true” was unable to determine what exactly happened. Grand Jury Foreman Bert Brown told Fox 40’s Kay Recede that “evidence is not missing, just misplaced”. The Grand Jury’s solution was to allow the Sheriff himself to complete an audit of the Sheriff’s Office’s evidence room that still had over 70,000 pieces of evidence needing to be audited.

Just last month highly respected Federal Judge Morrison C. England acknowledged in civil lawsuit Shelley vs San Joaquin that Sheriff Moore’s former assistant sheriff, Ruben Orozco, provided testimony under oath that contradicted Sheriff Moore’s testimony. Moore testified he did not make any decisions regarding the Linden well site. Assistant Sheriff Orozco swore under oath he briefed Moore daily and that Moore was very much in charge.

Numerous impacted family members from the Speed Freak Killer case that most likely involves over 70 innocent victims have made totally separate, but eerily similar complaints about Sheriff Moore’s behavior. Former San Joaquin District Attorney Thomas Testa told the Record he received numerous complaints from families specifically about Sheriff Moore’s odd treatment of victims.

Private citizens such as Sue Kizer, Marie Gillet and John Vanderheiden have all publicly claimed Sheriff Moore maliciously lied to them regarding various missing person investigations. Numerous emails obtained by 209 Times between the California DOJ and Sheriff Detective Chanda Bassett support these totally independent and private citizens’ claims.

With the totality of Sheriff Moore’s bizarre work history in mind, should the public and the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors place their trust in Dr. Susan Parson, numerous other law enforcement professionals, victim family members and overwhelming documentary evidence or elected official Steve Moore?