Fontana Official Cleared in Election Fraud, Perjury Case
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SAN BERNARDINO — Fontana City Treasurer Ron Hibble has been found not guilty of four felony charges of perjury and election fraud stemming from allegations that he lied about his city of residence.
Hibble, 41, embraced and kissed his girlfriend after hearing the verdict Thursday, saying he felt “pretty good.” He had faced up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
He was accused of lying about being a Fontana resident last year when he voted and ran for city office. Other charges alleged that he was living with his girlfriend, Judith McBride, in Grand Terrace.
However, San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Bob N. Krug said the squabble was not about where Hibble lived but what the state considered to be his legal domicile when he ran for office and voted in November, 1986.
Hibble rented out his Fontana residence and lied about living in its garage, the judge said. But, Krug said, Hibble had kept the utilities in his name and the address on his driver’s license.
Krug said he found no evidence that Hibble intended to move to Grand Terrace permanently.
Hibble had testified that financial problems had forced him to live, rent-free, with McBride.
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