The latest ballot count posted Monday continued to hold in Jonsen's favor. He has 7,201 more votes than Jensen, according to the Registrar of Voters.
"We believe at this point Kevin Jensen will not be able to obtain the votes necessary to overcome the deficit," Jonsen said in a statement.
Jensen, who trails by 49.2% to Jonsen's 50.8% in the contest, said he'll wait for all of the votes to be counted. As of Monday, 97% of the ballots have been counted, according to the Registrar of Voters.
"With the numbers so close, and with so many votes that I've gained in the last week ... I have been asked by many to await the final count.
Both candidates have promised to improve transparency, training and accountability in the beleaguered department, which has been wracked by multimillion-dollar lawsuits and corruption that caused former Sheriff Laurie Smith to resign on Oct. 31 as she awaited the verdict in her civil corruption trial. She was found guilty of six counts of corruption and misconduct on Nov. 3.
The newly elected sheriff was originally set to assume office on Jan. 2, but the winner may take over sooner because of the sheriff's vacancy left by Smith's early departure.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors was set to consider the matter on Nov. 15, but they deferred it until Dec. 6, which will be two days prior to the registrar's election certification.
— Sue Dremann
Tutor charged with molestation faces accusers
The first group out of 17 women who were allegedly molested by Palo Alto math tutor Mark Allan Hodes when they were children took the stand on Monday to testify during his preliminary hearing. Five more victims testified on Tuesday.
Hodes, 76, was arrested by Palo Alto police at his Manuela Avenue home on Aug. 25, 2020. He faces 55 felony counts. The charges include 39 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor aged 14 or 15 while being at least 10 years older than the minor; and 16 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under age 14. Hodes could receive 27 to 81 years in state prison if convicted on all counts of the acts on a minor aged 14 or 15 and 25 years to life of each of the counts on girls younger than 14, according to court documents.
The alleged incidents occurred between 2002 and 2018, with the youngest girls being 12 to 13 years old. Under state law, the statute of limitations has not expired in these cases. As many as 14 women are expected to testify during the preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to continue on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Hodes remains in custody without bail, but his defense team is seeking bail to have him released.
— Sue Dremann
Man robbed, assaulted during date
Police in Menlo Park are investigating an armed robbery and assault that occurred on the 3600 block of Haven Avenue, east of U.S. Highway 101, late afternoon on Nov. 18.
Officers responded to the scene at 5:55 p.m., where they found a 35-year-old man injured from being struck by a pistol as well as being punched and kicked.
A preliminary investigation determined that the victim had met up with a woman whom he had met on an online dating app. The victim and the woman were sitting his parked car when two men approached the car, hauled the victim from the vehicle and assaulted and took cash from him.
The woman willingly fled the scene with the assailants.
The assailants are described as Black adults, in their early 20s, wearing face masks. One was wearing all black clothing while the other was wearing a red jacket. One of the men was armed with a handgun. The female is being described as white or Hispanic, in her early 20s, wearing reading glasses, gray sneakers and a white dress with black designs on it.
The victim was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and then released.
Menlo Park police officers and detectives are actively investigating this case. The department asks that anyone with information regarding this case or who witnessed the incident call the department at 650-330-6300 or the anonymous tip line at 650-330-6395.
— Ugur Dursun / Bay City News Service
This story contains 722 words.
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