[CA] Update on the domestic call to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Pat Hedges' home

...[Sheriff's wife Sandy] Oneal-Hedges doesn't list any reason for the split in the court papers, but says, "Due to his position of sheriff of the County of San Luis Obispo, I have refrained from detailing other issues in our marriage … should [Patrick Hedges] come back to the house, this would be extremely unnerving"... She said neither deputy wrote anything during the time they spent interviewing her and Hedges... Asked why she did not file a report when faced with the fact that children were present, Sheriff’s Sgt. Sandra Leber, one of two deputies responding to the call, said, “There was no sign of child abuse. [And] if something happens to her (Oneal-Hedges), it is your fault. You wrote the article”...

Previous entry:
[CA] NO REPORT NECESSARY after Sheriff Hedge's wife calls 911 [1/25/2009]- ..."At this point, no follow-up is needed or desired. People are human they act out from time to time, and quite frankly there was no crime committed and we left," said Rob Bryn, spokesperson for San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department... Undersheriff Steve Bolts said nothing indicated an investigation was necessary. The sheriff was not accompanied off the property...

NEWS EXCERPTS FROM JANUARY 27 THRU MARCH 27, 2009:

LENGTH OF DEPUTIES’ VISIT TO SHERIFF DIFFERS
uncoveredslo.com
By Daniel Blackburn and Karen Velie
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
[Excerpts] How long did sheriff’s deputies spend at the home of Sheriff Pat Hedges and his wife, Sandy Oneal-Hedges, following a reported domestic disturbance? Official reports vary from more than an hour, to just 15 minutes, depending on who provided the information, and when it was divulged. San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies responded January 19 to a domestic disturbance call... According to sheriff officials, Oneal-Hedges called 911 at 5:36 p.m. to report her husband was screaming at her and asked for assistance. A sergeant and a beat car deputy responded to the house and cleared the incident without creating a report... Undersheriff Steve Bolts told a CalCoastNews reporter that a deputy and a supervisor spent approximately an hour at the Hedges home. A few days later, according to a Tribune article, the amount of time deputies spent at the scene had shrunk to less than 20 minutes. Later that night, KSBY reported the call had been cleared 15 minutes after the deputies arrived. Oneal-Hedges said she is not sure of the exact amount of time the deputies were at her home, but believes it was more than an hour. She said neither deputy wrote anything during the time they spent interviewing her and Hedges. The incident ended, according to deputies, when the sheriff agreed to leave the premises. Oneal-Hedges noted that she is not the type to call 911 merely because her husband was screaming at her... During a 1989 divorce, Patrick Hedges and his then wife, Sandra Hedges, took out restraining orders against one other during their legal separation. Another marriage, to Ramona Hedges, ended in 2003 amidst allegations of frightening behavior. “I found my husband’s demeanor to be very threatening and intimidating,” Ramona Hedges said in court records. [Full article here]

SAN LUIS OBISPO SHERIFF PAT HEDGES ANNOUNCES HE WILL NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTION
www.kcoy.com
Posted: March 10, 2009
Updated: March 17, 2009
[Excerpts] San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Patrick Hedges has advised the members of the Sheriff's Department that he will not be seeking re-election in 2010. It is the intent of the Sheriff to complete his term while working with the yet-to-be-determined Sheriff-elect for a transition on January 3, 2011... [Full article here]

SHERIFF'S WIFE FILES FOR SEPARATION
New Times
By Kylie Mendonca
Volume 23, Issue 34
March 25th, 2009
[Excerpts] The wife of Sheriff Patrick Hedges filed for legal separation March 24, two days after he moved out of their shared home carrying two suitcases, according to court records. Sandy Oneal-Hedges is seeking an unnamed amount of spousal support and compensation for legal fees; she also wants the house and the Mercedes. This is Patrick Hedges' third marriage. They have been married three years. Oneal-Hedges doesn't list any reason for the split in the court papers, but says, "Due to his position of sheriff of the County of San Luis Obispo, I have refrained from detailing other issues in our marriage, however, I believe that good cause exists that I be given exclusive use of the residence … should [Patrick Hedges] come back to the house, this would be extremely unnerving"... [Full article here]

UNEQUAL JUSTICE FAVORS SHERIFF IN DOMESTIC FIGHT
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Pat Hedges won't run again for his job.
CalCoastNews
By Karen Velie
Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 3:58 pm
Unequal justice favors sheriff in domestic fight
[Excerpts] Laws written to protect domestic abuse victims were apparently sidestepped by officials of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department in an attempt to protect the county’s top cop, Sheriff Pat Hedges. Hedges' wife, Sandy Oneal-Hedges, called a 911 operator in January after the sheriff, according to sources, blocked her exit from a room while screaming profanities at her. Frightened by the argument, one of two young children in the home entered the room. Sheriff Hedges then turned his verbal assault on the eight-year-old child, said a source who asked to remain unidentified. State law requires law enforcement personnel and social workers to report domestic disturbances in which children are involved. Asked why she did not file a report when faced with the fact that children were present, Sheriff’s Sgt. Sandra Leber, one of two deputies responding to the call, said, “There was no sign of child abuse. [And] if something happens to her (Oneal-Hedges), it is your fault. You wrote the article.” Officials’ reports of the duration of the deputies’ visit to Hedges’ North County home vary from 15 minutes to more than one hour. "(Undersheriff Steve) Bolts gave the correct time when he said they were there for an hour," one source said. “Then (sheriff’s spokesman Rob) Bryn says 20 minutes, and Bolts changes his story to match Bryn’s”... Sheriff Hedges was allotted 15 to 20 minutes to pack up his belongings. Before he left, he was given time to say his goodbyes to the children. Hedges moved back in the home shortly after he left. On March 22, he again moved from the home... Oneal-Hedges filed for a legal separation Tuesday citing irreconcilable differences. According to court records, she has access to only $200 in a joint account. According to her declaration, Oneal-Hedges refrained from listing the couple’s alleged marital difficulties in her separation papers because of her husband’s position in the county. Hedges has a history of alleged abusive behavior and extramarital affairs with current and former employees, according to court records and sources. Last weekend, he was spotted around town with his latest girlfriend... [Full article here]

911 TAPE OF SHERIFF PAT HEDGES' WIFE REPORTING A DOMESTIC DISPUTE PLAYED FOR MEDIA
KSBY
Dave Schermer
Posted: March 27, 2009
[Excerpts] In an unusual move, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department Thursday played the 911 tape of the sheriff's wife reporting a domestic dispute in January. She can be heard saying, "My husband is verbally abusing me and I need him to get out of the house...I asked him to get out and he won't leave." The department also played recordings of dash cam video from the two squad cars that responded. The video indicates Sheriff Pat Hedges complied with a request to leave about 20 minutes after two deputies and a sergeant arrived. Spokesman Rob Bryn says the intent was to show that the sheriff did not receive any special treatment. The recordings were played for the media, but the department would not release copies. [LINK]