SAN FRANCISCO During day two of the State Bar misconduct proceedings against district attorney Jon Alexander, prosecutors called two Del Norte County Superior Court judges who testified to a culture of hostility in the small, tightly-knit legal community in which Alexander allegedly gave and received improper loans.
Judge William Follett, currently the only permanently assigned judge sitting in the county of 28,000 residents, and retired Judge Robert Weir both testified that while they weren’t sure a loan made by Alexander to a deputy probation officer and a loan made to Alexander by a local defense attorney constituted illegal conduct, they felt the activity could give the appearance of impropriety. But both noted it was the state bar’s interest in and investigation of the allegations that gave them a certain weight. The improper financial dealings are among seven counts of misconduct charged by the State Bar in connection with Alexander’s tumultuous legal career.
