Judge clears Mirkarimi domestic violence conviction

A San Francisco Superior Court judge agreed Monday morning to wipe a 2012 misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi’s record.

Mirkarimi, who is running for re-election to his post in November against former sheriff’s Chief Deputy Vicki Hennessy, was convicted in 2012 of misdemeanor false imprisonment for an incident in which he grabbed his wife’s arm during an argument, causing a bruise.

Early in January 2012, just days before Mirkarimi was sworn into office, a neighbor contacted police reporting that Mirkarimi’s wife, Eliana Lopez, had shown her a bruise on her arm suffered during an argument that occurred on New Year’s Eve, according to a search warrant affidavit. Mirkarimi pleaded guilty in March 2012 to misdemeanor false imprisonment. He was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to undergo counseling.

When Mayor Ed Lee suspended Mirkarimi on official misconduct charges, Lee appointed Hennessy to the post of interim sheriff. She was the city’s first female sheriff. Mirkarimi returned to his post in October 2012 after the city’s 11-member Board of Supervisors did not reach the nine votes necessary under the city charter to remove him from office.

Mirkarimi, who worked for nine years in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office before serving seven years on the Board of Supervisors, was elected as sheriff in November 2011 after Michael Hennessey retired after 32 years in the position.

According to San Francisco District Attorney’s Office spokesman Max Szabo, Mirkarimi’s attorney appeared before the judge this morning and the request to remove the misdemeanor offense from his record was granted.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department remains under intense scrutiny after the FBI launched an investigation earlier this month into alleged deputy misconduct. The investigation stems from allegations by jail inmates held in San Francisco’s Hall of Justice that sheriff’s deputies forced them to fight “gladiator-style” while deputies placed bets on the outcomes.

Bay City News

Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.