SANTA ANA, Calif., April 16 (UPI) -- Mike Carona, former sheriff of California's Orange County, should remain jailed without bail while awaiting the results of his likely appeal, a prosecutor says.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Julian said in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that Judge Andrew Guilford should deny a bail request from Carona, who was convicted in January of witness tampering, The Orange County Register reported.
Carona is to be sentenced April 27, but is expected to appeal whatever sentence Guilford imposes.
The former sheriff was convicted of trying to get former Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl to offer false testimony to a grand jury that had been investigating the sheriff's department, the Register said.
Julian said in his motion that Carona's legal team will likely base a possible appeal on evidence-sufficiency in his case or on judicial rulings.
Guilford ruled a recorded conversation between Carona and Haidl should be supressed and also rejected a defense request that Carona's conviction be dismissed as the result of alleged grand jury errors.
"None of these present a fairly debatable or fairly doubtful question for appeal,'' Julian said.
