Harold W. Jewett, the Senior Deputy District Attorney for Contra Costa County, California, customarily works hard to convict motorists charged with drunk driving.
Now he is actively offering to help a number of them remove their DUI convictions and expunge their records.
It all owes to what Jewett calls a "sordid drama" that played out over a several-year period in the county.
Namely, entrapment, traced back to a former police officer and private detective and his team of young and attractive women, aided with an assist from other officers.
The scam worked this way. Detective Christopher Butler, at the request of ex-wives, would essentially arrange for men to be stopped and ultimately convicted of DUI. The information would then be used against them in family law matters.
Typically, a man would be approached by a woman and encouraged to go with her to a bar, where, along with one of her "friends," alcohol would be consumed. Upon being invited to then go elsewhere, the man would get into his car. Moments later, he would be stopped by a policeman.
Unknown to the victims (prosecutors have already dismissed at least 20 cases tainted by involvement of police officers), the women were Butler's employees and the officers his acquaintances. One of them now faces charges of bribery for taking money to make arrests.
Butler received a fee -- $2,500 in one case -- from victims' ex-spouses. The women working for him worked in pairs and were paid $100 for a four-hour shift.
Jewett expresses sympathy for the victims, calling Butler's scheme "one of the most deplorable practices I have ever heard of."
Source: Los Angeles Times, "Coming clean on 'dirty DUIs' in Contra Costa County" Oct. 16, 2011
