Ex-mayor avoids jail for smacking official
A longtime Carson activist, whose head-smack of a political opponent was captured on video and spread worldwide on YouTube, reached a settlement Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Compton to avoid criminal prosecution and the possibility of a six-month jail sentence.
The 43-second video clip of last year’s Carson City Council meeting shows Vera Robles DeWitt giving then-Public Works Commissioner Jan Schaefer a swat on the back of her head with a handful of papers after she passed the commissioner in the aisle of the council chamber. After a brief pause, Schaefer screams and tumbles from her seat to the floor.
Under the settlement, DeWitt agreed to be put in an 18-month diversion program, under which she will pay $1,500 in restitution costs, take 52 hours of anger management classes and participate in 100 hours of community service. A restraining order issued against DeWitt must be resolved in civil court with attorneys for Schaefer.
“She’s glad the situation is behind her,” said attorney Robert S. Ernenwein, who represents DeWitt. “This was ridiculously overblown.”
DeWitt, who owns Carson Bail Bonds and is a former city mayor, is an outspoken leader in the effort to recall Mayor Jim Dear.
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