I really don’t care about Sheriff Hedges’ lame excuses and rationalizations regarding the death of Jay Vestal (“Clearing the air,� Jan. 27-Feb. 3). If a half-dozen burly deputies cannot subdue a short, skinny, unarmed suspect without killing him in the process, they are just flat-out incompetent. Hedges obviously cannot see past the end of his nose. He should be removed from a position of authority so we can employ a sheriff who deserves the confidence of the citizenry.
Jim Scott
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Feb 3-10, 2005.