Verdict in Oakdale neighbor dispute unjust

After hearing the case against Brad Keith, justice was not served. Gross negligent use of a firearm includes high risk of death or great bodily injury. The gun was shot away from the accuser into acres of wilderness on private property. The blurry photos and oral descriptions were poor evidence. It was reasonable to expect no one behind Keith's house was at risk of being shot.

Under Penal Code 246.3 PC, Keith should have been acquitted because he reasonably feared that he and his wife were in imminent danger. Unfortunately, the jury was not afforded the evidence proving his innocence. Individuals refuting the accuser's and sheriff's testimonies were not allowed to speak.

The judge showed herself to be biased against Keith. The prosecutor presented a dishonest accuser. The defense attorney was not ardent in his rebuttal of the people's case.

As a result, an innocent man is losing his teaching career, his business and his freedom. Keith rots in county jail, run by the same sheriff that would not protect him from the terrible neighbor in the first place.

JEAN M. SMITH

Oakdale