LA County sheriff reinstates deputy fired over domestic abuse and stalking allegations
LOS ANGELES - Caren Carl Mandoyan played a special role last month at the swearing-in of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, standing on stage and holding the box of gold pins that would adorn the collars of the top cop and his senior executives.
Mandoyan served as a trusted member of Villanueva's campaign team, acting as his driver and rallying rank-and-file deputies to lobby their union to endorse his long-shot candidacy.
But Mandoyan didn't have the typical resume of a campaign worker. He served as a deputy for 10 years until he was fired in 2016 by then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell in connection with allegations of domestic abuse and stalking. A county appeals board heard evidence and upheld the dismissal.
Despite this, Villanueva decided to reinstate Mandoyan
