Mug Shots

Spurred by a Freedom of Information Act request from CNN, the government Wednesday released mug shots of indicted former presidential candidate John Edwards. Edwards pleaded not guilty in a North Carolina federal court earlier this month to charges that he funneled dollars intended for his campaign for use in an effort to shield his relationship with mistress Rielle Hunter from becoming public. A grand jury charged Edwards, 58, with six felony counts, including conspiracy, issuing false statements and evading laws that limit federal campaign limits.

Oakland defensive tackle Desmond Bryant was arrested Sunday morning on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief after allegedly causing a commotion at a neighbor's house while inebriated. We probably wouldn't even be discussing his arrest right now ... if it weren't for that unfortunate mug shot . Now I don't want to make fun of the man -- like I said, not his finest moment. I'll just describe the mug shot as "unflattering" and let it go at that. Bryant, who was held on $1,000 bond after being booked at 9:24 a.m. Sunday, has 10 1/2 sacks in four seasons with the Raiders and is due to be an unrestricted free agent on March 12. Can you imagine potential employers searching for information about Bryant online and that's what pops onto their screens?

A federal judge on Friday turned down media requests to release mug shots and search warrants in the case against Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner, accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). Loughner's attorney, Judy Clarke, asked that the mug shots be sealed, arguing that releasing them served no public interest. District Judge Larry A. Burns, assigned to hear the case, said he had no authority to order the release of the mug shots or to seal them.

The veteran LAPD detectives showed the witness to a slaying an array of six mug shots - the suspect in the fourth slot. The witness, an off-duty security guard, said the third photo resembled the killer. Det. John Zambos encouraged her to keep looking. She indicated two more photos - the fourth and sixth. "I kept seeing you go to four.... And you kept returning to four," Zambos said, according to a transcript reviewed by The Times. "Was [there] a reason why you kept comparing everybody to No. 4?"

Police agreed to consult with minority leaders about using pictures of innocent Vietnamese youths in a photo album of mug shots shown to crime victims. Deputy Chief Bill Mallett said the album has helped police solve more than 30 crimes involving young Vietnamese, curtailing a crime wave in which many used automatic weapons to loot Vietnamese homes.

A Superior Court judge ruled Monday that the Orange County Sheriff's Department should decide whether to release the booking photographs of Assemblyman Scott Baugh and two GOP aides who face charges stemming from Baugh's campaign last year. Judge David O. Carter, acting on a motion filed by media attorneys, said his ruling would not become effective until Friday and it will allow those involved the chance to appeal.

California's top prosecutor just approved violating our due-process rights, but don't be surprised that you didn't hear about it. Newspapers such as this one are the direct beneficiaries of Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer's wrong-headed decision. Recently, the sheriff of Contra Costa County in Northern California requested an official ruling from the state attorney general on the following question: May law enforcement officials give journalists copies of a criminal suspect's booking photograph?

Now I know that the L.A. Times is biased against baseball. Forty thousand people watch the Angels beat the Twins at Edison Field, and we get mug shots of Mike Dunleavy on the front sports page. Shouldn't the "new coach of the Clippers" story be in the obituary section? Charles Jenner Los Alamitos

Chilean police took mug shots and fingerprinted former dictator Augusto Pinochet on Wednesday after his indictment in connection with the killing and disappearance of leftist opponents. Judge Victor Montiglio requested the action to create a police file on the former strongman, court officials said. It was the first time courts had ordered his mug shots and fingerprints.

Does Danny Bonaduce, formerly of "The Partridge Family," really want the world to remember him as a man who was convicted of beating a transvestite in 1991? Wouldn't Woody Harrelson rather forget his conviction related to drunken conduct 14 years ago? Will Mickey Rourke live down his bad-boy image after his arrest for wife-beating (charges that were dropped)? Two new books are showcasing cell-bound celebrities and preserving their mug shots for posterity.

George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged in the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, returned to jail Sunday two days after a judge revoked his bail over questions about his finances. Zimmerman wore a plaid shirt, jeans, tennis shoes and longer hair than in his internationally known mug shots. He arrived at the Seminole County Jail in Sanford, Fla., accompanied by law enforcement officers and with his hands cuffed behind his back. He did not respond to reporters' questions, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Spurred by a Freedom of Information Act request from CNN, the government Wednesday released mug shots of indicted former presidential candidate John Edwards. Edwards pleaded not guilty in a North Carolina federal court earlier this month to charges that he funneled dollars intended for his campaign for use in an effort to shield his relationship with mistress Rielle Hunter from becoming public. A grand jury charged Edwards, 58, with six felony counts, including conspiracy, issuing false statements and evading laws that limit federal campaign limits.

A federal judge on Friday turned down media requests to release mug shots and search warrants in the case against Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner, accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). Loughner's attorney, Judy Clarke, asked that the mug shots be sealed, arguing that releasing them served no public interest. District Judge Larry A. Burns, assigned to hear the case, said he had no authority to order the release of the mug shots or to seal them.

The news spread quickly among neighbors, family members and organizers in this working-class city that for months has been thrust into the national spotlight. Some phoned each other or chatted on the street, while others headed to City Hall to spread the news: eight former and current Bell officials had been arrested. Among residents, many of whom rose up in angry protest amid revelations about a huge salary and loan scandal, there was a sense of celebration and relief. Some saw the arrests as a pivotal moment that would finally allow the city to move forward, while others wondered what would happen next.

I WAS DRESSED PERFECTLY for my mug shot, which may have been part of the problem. I wore a lovely silk-and-rayon, short-sleeved Tommy Bahama shirt. Very understated. A muted pumpkin color with a tasteful palm and an ibis on the back. My good faded jeans, a little tight, and my $2,500 ostrich-skin cowboy boots. I looked like a South Florida personal injury lawyer, sans ponytail, dressed up to look like a South Florida smuggler, which, like I said, couldn't have helped matters.

Chilean police took mug shots and fingerprinted former dictator Augusto Pinochet on Wednesday after his indictment in connection with the killing and disappearance of leftist opponents. Judge Victor Montiglio requested the action to create a police file on the former strongman, court officials said. It was the first time courts had ordered his mug shots and fingerprints.

Your hypocrisy knows no bounds! Mr. Penner should turn his venomous insights toward his own paper. He basically says there is no journalistic value to ESPN [Sept. 7]. It is just a bunch of entertainment and other worthless rubbish. This, I guess, is opposed to all the valuable sports journalism your current writers provide. I don't recall the last time I read an article by a Times sportswriter that reported just the game or event being covered. Everything is accompanied by a worthless opinion, anecdote, or solution.

In response to "Real Estate Fraud's Dirty Deeds," Nov. 29: As one involved in the title insurance business for more than 20 years, and concerned with the problems of forgery and fraud, and their effect upon the innocent, I have no quibble with your reporting of the facts. What you got wrong, and what neutralizes the real utility of your story, is the photo. Picturing the victim may elicit some sympathy, but does nothing to prevent recurrence. Kevin Gillies can change the name under which he operates as readily as you may change your socks.

California's top prosecutor just approved violating our due-process rights, but don't be surprised that you didn't hear about it. Newspapers such as this one are the direct beneficiaries of Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer's wrong-headed decision. Recently, the sheriff of Contra Costa County in Northern California requested an official ruling from the state attorney general on the following question: May law enforcement officials give journalists copies of a criminal suspect's booking photograph?

Now I know that the L.A. Times is biased against baseball. Forty thousand people watch the Angels beat the Twins at Edison Field, and we get mug shots of Mike Dunleavy on the front sports page. Shouldn't the "new coach of the Clippers" story be in the obituary section? Charles Jenner Los Alamitos