Dear Mr. Rooney:

I wanted to take this time to thank you for your assistance in resolving my court case in Plumas County. I am very grateful that even though I had a possibly serious offense against me, you were able to get a summary probation which, in the long run, will totally drop off my record. That was very important to me as I have always tried to live an honest and law abiding life. Up to this point, I felt I had.

I was however very disappointed to know that here seemed to be absolutely zero tolerance for someone who had never been in any kind of trouble before. And the fact that the mistakes I made were because of my not being aware of the entire California penal code. I guess I need to get a copy of the California Penal code and read it cover to cover so I won’t make any more mistakes. It seems very sad to me that a serious offender can bargain to get a reduced sentence, but someone who makes an honest mistake out of ignorance, seems to get the shaft.

I know there was not much you could have done with the way the current system is set up. It still does not seem right or even moral. The fact that I believe, in the same way that as you had indicated to me, that my Beretta will not actually be destroyed, really irks me! I used to totally support law enforcement, but not any longer. They push the fact that we have to obey every whit of the written laws, but when it comes to their advantage, like getting a really nice gun for free, and then they can choose to break the same laws that were used against me! How is that honest or moral?

It seems to me that being a law enforcement officer just gives them the right to choose which laws they themselves wish to keep. That’s not a power they should be entitled to. Please excuse my ranting; it just really gets under my skin.

Again, I am very grateful for the part you played and I know you did your best.

Thank you so very much, I could never have done it on my own.