Vindicated But Vilified: My Experience with Judge Charles S. Crandall
It’s been three years since I appeared before now-former SLO County Superior Court Judge Charles S. Crandall in a case that proved to be one of the most surrealistic moments of my life. Though I’m years removed from it and have grown a lot since that experience, I still face harassment over it and hold Crandall partially but personally responsible.
Because Crandall remains part of the faculty of San Luis Obispo College of Law, I have decided to not continue my pursuit of a career in law at that campus.
Crandall presided over a restraining order hearing where CalCoastNews co-founder Karen Velie falsely accused me of stalking, harassing and threatening her and her family. The trigger to the filing was me taking a photo of her at the courthouse and asking questions about her reporting. What was originally benign — albeit ignorant of local courthouse rules on photography — transformed into a harrowing tale of drama ripped from the pages of a John Grisham novel with Velie falsely accusing me of threatening her in the presence of law enforcement.
Though he found her “sole witness” couldn’t recall the dramatic events she described and the “multiple police reports” she testified under oath to filing against me were nonexistent, Crandall only admonished me. And the admonishment itself…
