Hume Subject of DA’s Investigation Over Alleged Threats

Elk Grove Council Member cleared by Sac DA's office

In a publicly released document, the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office revealed that it had conducted an investigation into Elk Grove Council Member Pat Hume. The investigation was prompted by an accusation that Hume had threatened bodily harm to an Elk Grove citizen.

According to the letter written by Deputy District Attorney Michael Blazina to Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner, the investigation found after “carefully examining the allegations, we have concluded that there is no evidence of criminal misconduct warranting prosecution.”

The complaint, which was filed with the Elk Grove Police Department andwas referred to the district attorney’s office, alleged that Hume had violated California political financial reporting requirements and made threats covered by California Penal Code Section 422. Under this section, a threat is considered to have been made if any person makes a threat to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury even if there is no intent of actually carrying it out.

The complaint was filed by Elk Grove resident Constance Conley who alleged that Hume had not properly reported gifts she had given Hume consistent with the California Fair Poict Practice Commission. The complaint further alleged that when Conley asked Hume to return the gifts during a telephone conversation he threatened cut the gifts into pieces and burn them on her driveway.

According to the letter, Conley said she expressed concern that the fire could easily spread to her house because of a sloping driveway and could cause harm to other occupants of the house.

In his letter Blazina wrote that “moreover, there is no reasonable likelihood that a jury would find unanimously beyond a reasonable doubt that Hume’s statement was criminal in nature.”

Release of Letter

In a letter to Blazina regarding disclosure of the letter, Conley expressed displeasure with the process of the investigation and disclosure of the letter. Conley specifically questioned “What happened to protecting the victim?”

In an e-mail correspondence Blazina replied that “normally, our office does not disclose these types of letters we provide to a law enforcement agency, subject to a case-by-case analysis. In the current matter, because my letter was quoted publicly at a city council meeting, we have decided to disclose the letter.”

Cooper’s ethics violation investigation request

Blazina’s letter was the one quoted during last week’s when Elk Grove City Council Member Jim Cooper requested an ethics violation investigation into an unspecified fellow council member. During that meeting Cooper, a 25 year law enforcement officer veteran with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, repeatedly said the charges had risen to such a level warranting an investigation.

Fellow council member Gary Davis and Steve Detrick supported the investigation while Hume and Mayor Sophia Scherman opposed it. Scherman, who had single-handedly authorized an ethics violation investigation of Detrick for a passing comment he had made at heated city council meeting last fall, called Cooper request “a waste of time.”

Cooper, who is currently running for Sacramento County Sheriff, could not be reached for comment.

For his part Hume said “the letter speaks for itself” and declined further comment.