Newly sworn-in Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi may end up on the other side of the law. It's looking more and more likely that the city's District Attorney George Gascon will file misdemeanor domestic violence charges against Mirkarimi, according to a source at the Chronicle.
The Chronicle source says prosecutors are convinced the accusation is real.
This all stems from an incident on New Year's Eve when Mirkarimi allegedly grabbed his wife - former Venezuelan telenova star Eliana Lopez - with enough strength to leave a bruise. The report was made to police by a neighbor.
Lopez has said she has no complaint against her husband and that the whole thing was taken out of context.
Mirkarimi's attorney said he doesn't think an offense was committed. And he said the former supervisor is ready for whatever charges he may face.
The paper also says its sources believe prosecutors do not have enough evidence to support a felony charge. They say such a filing requires proving a defendant inflicted injury that resulted "in a traumatic condition."
Meantime, Gascon's office is looking to justify the filing based on a video of a bruise on Lopez's arm and text messages about the incident.
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Police obtained the video and text messages with a search warrant at the neighbors home. The messages are said to be from the neighbor and include comments Lopez made about the episode and the state of her marriage.
It's believed a misdemeanor case could be filed by the end of this week.
