doing so for a great many weeks. simply any pointers on doing one. i was not a stranger to the media. in this particular case, it had been someone else's i engaged in media interviews. -- it had been some while since i had engaged in media interviews. >> this relates to one of the text messages. on january 4, we have a text message from miss lopez saying you have to call him a seat -- hennesy and stop this before something happens. use your power. do you know what miss lopez was referring to when she said use your power? >> i believe my wife was trying to make sense of what was crashing all before. she thought i might be able to do something about it.

i think it underscores my wife not familiar with the process, and i was clear with her that i just cannot. >> the phrase "use your power," i am wondering where you think that phrase came from, why she used that particular phrase. >> that was just my wife using her own -- that is her vocabulary. >> had you referred to your power previously? >> no, i did not. >> thank you. >> mr. sheriff, a good morning. i want to fall upon something commissioner renne asked you. why is it that once you and your wife got out of the car on december 31, why did the

argument suddenly stop? >> frankly, because of our child. i think i stayed in the car to reflect on what happened. my wife collected our son and went into the house. i was still in the driver's seat and took my seat belt off and collected some of the things like the child's bad, some of the other belongings inside the car, and women to the house. it was lunchtime. if you live, she is extremely regimented about eating at certain times. -- if you know my wife, she is extremely regimented about eating at certain times. i did not want to add to the attention. that was something we honor. it was lunchtime. my son was being given lunch. >> any of the questions for the sheriff?

-- any other questions for the sheriff? commissioner hayon? >> in terms of the timeline of when your wife called you and spoke to you and acknowledged and explain to you that she had visited the neighbor and that there had been a videotape and that she had recounted the events of december 31 to miss madison, given your reaction december 31 and your anger and volatility, from what it sounds like, i have not heard anything at all about how you reacted upon hearing that news, that your wife had not only gone to the neighbor but had allowed a videotape of these events. can you talk about that more? >> my wife did not go into

detail about the videotape when i was first informed. i did not see the videotape until sometime later. i was, just as i said earlier, processing what was occurring. i was kind of in the state of shock when she was informing me about what was going on. when she called me and we met about a block away from city hall, i was simply trying to abort -- absorb what she was telling me, trying to make sense out of this. it was surreal. little attention was being discussed about a videotape at that time. what was on my wife's mind, was i felt like i needed to protect my wife because she was the one who was scared and panicked, as well as i was becoming that way. but i was not fully being able to take time to comprehend

everything that was going on. i was just listening. >> why do you think your wife was so scared and panicked? >> i think scared because she felt betrayed by the neighbor. that was the nature of what she was rushing to and telling me about, with his neighbor was doing. this is the first i am learning of all of this. i am trying to understand it myself because it sounds so amazing, so crazy. >> is it possible she was scared and panicked in anticipation of what your reaction might have been? >> no, i do not believe that because she was very clear about what she was scared about. that was what the neighbor and whatever was occurring between she and the neighbor.

my reaction, if you noticed, was very measured, as it related to even when she asked me to see if there was something i can do about it later that day. my reaction was not anything more than just really listening, trying to process the details being provided to me, and trying to then respond with what i thought were responsible decisions, that i was not going to interfere with the investigation and not interfere with the process that had internally been unleashed. and at the same time, my wife was looking to me for some response because she felt obviously concerned and troubled. all this confluence at the same time was where i was trying to make sense of how i can maintain the professional standards and integrity of what i am hearing

third party now that is occurring, and at the same time addressing the concerns of my wife. >> i have one nerve -- one more question. to follow up on commissioner studley's question about your media strategy or lack thereof. in crisis management, a basic is to acknowledge, apologize, and assure the public that what has transpired in terms of the crisis will never happen again. generally speaking, i think in most critical media situations where this has been followed, it tends to diffuse the situation and end the situation quickly so

there is not a long drawn-out media frenzy such as we have experienced in san francisco over this case. i am wondering whether or not anyone you consulted, your campaign manager or any media strategist with whom you spoke, advised you to do something like that immediately, get it out of the ways of the could move on and not have to get to this point as we are here today. >> the answer is at a higher price, there were a couple of media strategists we talked to that suggested we do something like this. again, it was very ad hoc at best. there was no media strategy and no media plan. in hindsight, i sure wish we did in many ways. i really admit that we failed in being able to explain and

present in the way you just suggested. it was an overwhelming and continue to be an overwhelming event to be branded by the paper of record and others. it became where in essence, i kind of shut down. i did. personally speaking, i was sad. i was humiliated and ashamed. high was losing my family -- i was losing my family. i still have not been able to see my wife since january 13. the separation of my son. my past had been completely tarnished and solid -- sullies, and my future now completely in question. my family not sure when i would be able to get back together and repair with a wife and son. all of these things coming together. in hindsight, i absolutely wish

that we were more on top of it in demonstrating the wherewithal to do something like what mayor newsom did when his scandal erupted and he had the resources to bring together the kind of resource he did or when others do so. >> let me add, i would have to say to issue an apology and be forthcoming about the events, there need not be any cost involved whatsoever. it is just a common-sense approach to being honest and forthcoming when you are in a crisis situation. you do not have to have a high- priced p.r. person to do that, as an aside. >> except in this regard, -- >> do you what his response? >> no, that is fine. >> any other questions? thank you, mr. sheriff. >> there was a new matter raised

i would like to follow-up on. it was raised by commissioner liu. i would like to do a brief follow-up on that issue. >> i will hear arguments. >> we would object to that. commissioners, the mayor has already went over twice the time estimate he gave us last night. i do not think there is anything left at this point we would object to, any further time being spent on the. >> i open this up to my fellow commissioners, a process issue that may come up again. i am inclined in light of the opportunity council had to examine not to allow further examination by counsel after the questions of the commissioners, but i am open to suggestions. >> what is the new matter you say we have not already covered?

>> the sheriff mentioned what he considered to be the factual basis for his false imprisonment plea. i wanted to ask him a follow-up question about that. that is not an issue we have gone into with either counsel. it was raised in response to a question by commissioner liu. >> commissioner studley. >> i guess i do have a feeling that when -- if commissioner questions open a new area, either counsel might be allowed to clarify. i do not think this is a question of total time. i think it is a question of whether it raises new territory. >> i would agree with commissioner studley. >> why don't we allow some

questioning, very limited? >> commissioner, i am sorry. sheriff, you mentioned in response to a question from commissioner liu that the false imprisonment you committed against your wife consisted of turning the van around. do you remember that remark? >> the term was restricting liberty. that is what i was thinking she was referring to. >> ok. but in any case, your answer was in your mind that was the factual basis for your plea to false imprisonment? >> well, i was answering a question about if there was another time of restricting the liberty. that was on december 31. >> sheriff, did the district attorney ever state to you that we are expecting your plea of false imprisonment because you turned a dam around? >> objection, relevance. >> i will allow it. >> nothing further.

>> mr. wagoner, anything? ? no, thank you, commissioners. >> thank you. >> i think at this point, we should take the lunch break. i would like to take a 45-minute break if that is acceptable to the parties. >> yes. >> yes, that is fine. >> i understand we need to clear this room entirely during that break. also would expect -- i also would expect we would get back at 1:00 and have testimony from that point. let's take a lunch break.