(AP) — After a jury convicted a California man of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in a fatal drunken driving crash, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to six months in jail and ordered him to undergo random alcohol testing.
An Associated Press review of his rulings shows that Persky has adhered to the same practice in every trial where the probation office made a recommendation since he began presiding over a Palo Alto criminal court in 2015.
The judge's supporters describe him as a smart jurist who listens to all parties, including the probation department, and who is open to sparing first-time offenders lengthy prison sentences when he's convinced counseling and court monitoring can help them get back on track.
Echoing findings in Turner's probation report, Persky said on June 3 that Turner's youth, character references, lack of a criminal record and, to a lesser extent, the role alcohol played in the assault pointed toward a short jail sentence rather than a longer prison term.
The sentence, coupled with Turner's father's plea for leniency because his son had already paid "a steep price ... for 20 minutes of action," thrust the case into the national debate over campus sexual assault.
[...] getting assigned the Turner case, Persky and his Palo Alto court attracted little outside attention.
Even before Turner was sentenced, the case drew more attention than any other Persky has handled since arriving in Palo Alto.
Because of the poor state of Santa Clara County's technology, accessing Persky's cases is virtually impossible for the public.
