17 witnesses end 1st week of sheriff removal hearings

The arrest of Carlos Tapia, president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, on Nov. 12, 2024, the dynamic between Corpus and her former chief of staff and close friend Victor Aenlle, and a stifled internal investigations process were key focuses of the hearing so far. 

Corpus’ attorneys spent the week cross-examining the county’s witnesses to establish that the first Latina sheriff in San Mateo County inherited an understaffed office resistant to change and yet has quickly filled vacancies and kept the county safe. 

So far, 17 witnesses have taken the stand at the request of the county’s counsel. The weight of testimonies was signaled by multiple witnesses attempting to stifle tears as they recounted their experiences working in the Sheriff’s Office. 

Corpus is accused of 18 violations of the San Mateo County charter, including violating the law relating to the sheriff’s duties, neglect of those duties and obstruction of investigations. 

One of the 18 counts against Corpus involves the “inattention and favoritism in internal investigations.” 

On Friday, witnesses who once held or currently hold a position in the professional standards bureau of the Sheriff’s Office, testified to multiple transfers of personnel out of the already small unit and a growing backlog of investigations unaddressed. 

The PSB unit oversees administrative investigations and internal affairs matters, including traffic collisions, pursuits and uses of forces. 

In the last 2 1/2 years, one sergeant was transferred out, two lieutenants departed, one captain was transferred, and two assistant sheriffs either resigned and terminated, Sgt. Joseph Fava said on the stand.

“It has slowed down our review process, our investigative process and it has completely bottlenecked everything we do on a daily basis,” Fava said. 

This bottleneck effect where cases are pushed through the investigation and then are left unaddressed without a final decision is due to constant staff turnover and “sheriff and undersheriff not making decisions.” 

Four of those sworn officers who were either transferred out or left the bureau took the stand Friday, all speaking to a significant backlog of investigations that still need a final decision to be made, resulting in one instance of a sergeant on administrative leave for over a year. 

Matthew Fox, former acting assistant sheriff, returned to the stand Friday morning to finish his testimony, and spoke more to his relationship with and trust in Corpus. 

Fox’s testimony echoed a dissolved narrative that once was central to the tension between Sheriff’s Office personnel and Corpus’ administration — the problem was Aenlle. 

When concerns were initially raised against Corpus’ administration by sworn officers, a focal point was Aenlle, and the unions once assured Corpus was not the source of strife. Although the sheriff has since remained under fire for keeping Aenlle around, Fox’s testimony redirected his frustrations to the former chief of staff. 

A few days after a major investigative report was released that accused Corpus and Aenlle of misconduct, and after Tapia was arrested following an investigation conducted by Fox, Fox was made aware that Aenlle, after he was in-effect fired from his role by the county, had unauthorized access to suppressed rifles and was trying to cover it up. 

For Fox, that was the last straw. 

“I resigned because I did not want to have to call the chief of staff back,” Fox said. “I wasn’t going to do anything criminal at this point in my career for anybody.” 

Throughout the week multiple objections made against Corpus’ attorneys were sustained by the hearing officer, retired Judge James Emerson, that led to back and forths.

“We can’t go back over this over and over again,” Emerson said to Corpus’ attorney Mariah Cooks regarding a particular line of questioning. “It’s got to stop.” 

In another instance, Emerson said Corpus’ attorney Chris Ulrich was testifying himself, rather than asking a witness questions, and jokingly asked if Ulrich wanted to take the stand. Ulrich tried to defend the questioning and Thomas Mazzucco — lead attorney for Corpus — could be seen in the courtroom seats signaling Ulrich to stop. 

Each day, Corpus has sat in court among her attorneys, and often could be seen smiling while shaking her head during witness testimony. 

Under-oath testimony from key witnesses is the final step adopted by the Board of Supervisors after voters approved Measure A in March, which granted the governing body the authority to remove an elected sheriff for just cause. The board will then vote whether to remove the first elected sheriff from office in the state. 

The defendants and plaintiffs each are allotted 35 hours, or approximately five days each, to present their cases. Cross examination counts toward each parties’ allotted time, Mazzucco said, and Corpus’ defense will not likely begin calling witnesses Monday morning. 

Court will reconvene at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25. The hearing is slated to end Friday, Aug. 29. Emerson will then have 45 days to make a formal recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.