Let justice be done in the criminal courts

We said this all before, but it bears repeating now that the

lawsuit has been officially filed in the case of former Newport Beach

city recreation coordinator Trenton Veches.

Veches has been charged, though not convicted, of inappropriate

behavior with young boys in his supervision. He’s been arrested and

now sits in jail awaiting charges on 28 felony counts of lewd

behavior with a minor and one misdemeanor charge of possessing child

pornography.

But even before a jury has been assembled, before the prosecution

opens its arguments, before the judge has gaveled a courtroom to

order, parents of some of the boys allegedly touched by Veches have

already clogged up the legal system with a lawsuit aimed at the city

-- and the taxpayers who will have to foot the bill for such

frivolousness.

The parents allege in the lawsuit that the city was negligent in

its hiring and retention of Veches. High on the list of the

complaints is the idea that the city should have been suspicious of

his e-mail address, purported to be [email protected].

First thing’s first.

If Veches is convicted of these crimes, we are confident that

justice will be meted out appropriately. We, like many in this

community, were shocked when the news of Veches’ alleged crimes came

to light and were saddened for the children and parents who were

victims of these acts. We believe anyone who violates the trust of a

child, who preys on the innocent, should be prosecuted and punished

to the fullest extent of the law.

But we also believe that the appropriate place to conclude this

unfortunate case is in the criminal courts, not the civil courts.

The city, which has already denied $4.5 million in claims filed in

the Veches case, did indeed do a routine background and fingerprint

check of Veches, who was formerly employed by the city of Tucson, and

found no criminal record and nothing to suggest he was a danger to

children.

So the idea that somehow his e-mail address, which does not on its

face suggest lewd behavior, should have tipped off city officials is

ludicrous. Indeed, if city officials denied him the job based on his

e-mail address, they would probably find themselves in serious

violation of civil liberties and personal privacy.

As we’ve said before, these lawsuits are nothing more than a

shameless grab into the deep pockets of the city and the residents

here.

We urge those involved in these lawsuits to cease and desist.

Don’t bring more victims into this mess, and let the criminal courts

and prosecutors do their part in making sure justice is served.