Please do not vote until you have considered this information.

There was a sheriff candidates' forum in Hidden Valley Lake on Oct. 6. Francisco Rivero was asked about his role in a DUI allegation against a man who was ultimately acquitted.

Before addressing the audience, Rivero first looked at the police report that he had written about the case. Then he passionately explained to the audience of more than 100 people that the acquittal was not his fault.

Rivero said, “I did not do the initial investigation or do the FSTs (field sobriety tests).”

There is a video recording available containing every word that Rivero spoke during the forum.

There was a jury trial for the DUI case in question on May 5, 2009. Francisco Rivero was questioned under oath about his role in the DUI arrest.

Before addressing the jury, Rivero first looked at the police report that he had written about the case. Then he told the jury in great detail about his initial investigation and the field sobriety tests he conducted on that suspect.

Rivero said that he based his decision to arrest the man on “The totality of the circumstances of the traffic stop and my field sobriety tests, my observations of him between the field sobriety tests.”

There is a court transcript available containing every word that Rivero spoke during that trial. (Superior Court Case No. CR914199.)

Only one of Rivero's versions of this case can be true; one version makes him a criminal – guilty of perjury and other felonies – and the other makes him a habitual liar.

No matter which statement you believe, Francisco Rivero can never testify as a credible witness again. So Rivero should not be elected to an office of trust.

Is it becoming clear why the law enforcement community does not trust Francisco Rivero?

Roth Shilts is a reserve deputy sheriff serving Lake County since March 3, 1982. He lives in Middletown, Calif.