SF Sheriff Mirkarimi Meets With Mayor After Sentencing, Announcement On Tuesday
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi met Monday afternoon at City Hall with Mayor Ed Lee, whose office said the mayor plans to make an announcement regarding Mirkarimi's domestic violence case on Tuesday.
Mirkarimi, 50, was sentenced Monday to three years' probation after pleading guilty last week to misdemeanor false imprisonment in connection with a Dec. 31 incident in which he allegedly grabbed the arm of his wife during an argument.
Along with the probation term, Mirkarimi was also sentenced to 100 hours of community service, nearly $600 in fines and fees, 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and other family counseling if deemed appropriate by the city's adult probation department.
Lee said last week he is considering his options under the city charter, which allows the mayor to suspend the sheriff for official misconduct.
The charges would prompt a hearing by the city's Ethics Commission, which would then make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. At least nine of 11 supervisors would then need to approve the charges for Mirkarimi to be ousted from office.
KCBS Team Coverage:
Mirkarimi went into the mayor's office late Monday afternoon for a brief meeting with Lee.
After about 15 minutes, Mirkarimi briskly walked out of a side door of the mayor's office on the second floor of City Hall and up the stairs to his office on the fourth floor. He declined to talk about the meeting to reporters who ran after him.
"It'd be premature for me to talk," he said.
Mayoral spokesman Francis Tsang also declined to say what was discussed at the meeting, but said Lee plans to make an announcement about the case on Tuesday.
Mirkarimi had fought back tears while speaking to the media following his sentencing on Monday.
"I deeply and humbly apologize for my behavior and the pain it caused to my wife and son," he said. "For what happened on Dec. 31, there are no excuses. I accept full responsibility."
Beverly Upton, executive director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, a network of 17 local agencies, said she thought the apology was "too little, too late" and called on the mayor to suspend Mirkarimi.
While Mirkarimi faces possible action by Lee, he also is dealing with discord from within his department.
Mirkarimi said Monday that the sheriff's department "has been running right and well amid my personal strife."
However, a statement released Monday afternoon by San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association President Don Wilson suggests otherwise.
Wilson said, "We are extremely disappointed any time a law enforcement officer pleads guilty of a crime" and said "morale within the department has been affected by this incident."
KCBS, CBS 5 & Chronicle Insider Phil Matier:
Mirkarimi is also not allowed to carry a firearm while a stay-away order is in effect preventing him from contacting his wife.
That order will remain in effect until a judge removes or modifies it once he begins domestic violence counseling, Mirkarimi's defense attorney Lidia Stiglich said.
Mirkarimi will have to attend probation orientation at the adult probation department on Thursday and will return to court on April 6 to prove he has enrolled in domestic violence counseling.
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