Jaramillo Withdraws His Not-Guilty Plea

Former Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo and his sister-in-law withdrew their pleas of not guilty in a corruption case Friday.

The procedural move will allow them to fight the charges on grounds that they are too broad and vague, and that the statute of limitations has expired on some. Jaramillo and Erica Lynn Hill are due back in court Jan. 5.

Jaramillo, 44, could face up to nine years in prison if convicted on six felony counts of misappropriation of public funds and four misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charges.

Hill, 33, could face up to six years if convicted on three counts of misappropriation of public funds for allegedly helping Jaramillo.

Each remains free on $25,000 bond.

Prosecutors allege that Jaramillo misused squad cars and on-duty deputies to stage demonstrations for a Newport Beach firm that was trying to interest law enforcement agencies in one of its inventions.

Jaramillo was being paid as a consultant by CHG Safety Technologies.

Hill was an employee of the firm.

The charges, filed in late September, are the outcome of one of several investigations that have been made public since March, when Jaramillo was fired as an assistant to Sheriff Michael S. Carona.

In another investigation, federal authorities recently ordered the sheriff’s private charitable organization, the Michael S. Carona Foundation, to turn over a variety of financial documents.