SF Sheriff Gets Probation in Domestic Violence

San Francisco's top sheriff has been sentenced to a day in jail and three years probation after he was charged with beating his wife black and blue. Ross Mirkarimi, who pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment, must also attend a year-long domestic violence intervention program. The sentence was part of plea deal struck for the New Year's Eve confrontation after which his sobbing wife fled to the home of a neighbor, who videotaped Eliana Lopez for police. Mirkarimi's wife stopped cooperating with police, however, after his arrest. The sheriff, still under an injunction ordering him to stay away from his wife, also faces possible dismissal from the job he was appointed to just last year, CBS reports.

"I am ashamed and deeply sorry for my behavior," Mirkarimi said outside the courtroom yesterday. "I offer my deepest heartfelt apology. I'm going to devote myself to repair my relationship with my family, with the people of San Francisco, and am committed to becoming a better public servant, one you can be proud of—someone who should not hide from their mistakes." In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped charges of domestic violence battery, dissuading a witness, and endangering a child. The couple's 2-year-old son was in the couple's home during the confrontation, notes the San Francisco Chronicle. (More Ross Mirkarimi stories.)