Hello, and welcome to the North State Breakdown with Benjamin Nowain. In this episode I am going to provide a breakdown on one of the Recall Candidates in the upcoming recall election:
Coming up on February 1st, a recall election for District 2 Supervisor Leonard Moty will take place. The former police chief and law enforcement veteran of over 30 years has 4 different contenders gunning for his seat, one of the frontrunners being District 2 candidate Dale Ball. As a founding member of the local grassroots volunteer organization, called Shasta Support Service, Ball is known to many as a beloved figure who works to better our community by organizing homeless encampment cleanups and helping with non-profit fundraisers, such as the annual crab feed benefitting One Safe Place. It is without question that Ball has put much effort into bettering the community as a volunteer, bringing volunteers together to get the job done, previously stating that “many hands make light work.” You will see pictures of him with many familiar faces, admirable for tirelessly working themselves to make Shasta County a place to be proud of. Other familiar faces who have associated with Ball include recall supporters such as Les Baugh, Gary Cadd, Woody Clendennen and Venus “Freedom” Bontadelli. What many people aren’t aware of is his colorful criminal history and a propensity to point blame towards anyone who isn’t him.
There are copious amounts of detail surrounding the criminal side of Dale Ball. The known history, according to public record, begins in April 1990 in Shasta County, where he was convicted of obstructing/resisting an officer. In November of 1992, Ball was charged with a first DUI, followed by a second DUI in Humboldt County in September of 1993. In January 1997, Ball was charged with a third DUI and an unlawful concealed firearm. Ball received enhancements on this case for his prior DUIs and obstructing/resisting officer charges from April of 1990. The police report shows he initially claimed he had not been drinking, but when the officer noted that he smelled alcohol on Ball, he admitted to having one beer. Ball argued against giving a breathalyzer sample, claiming that he had been arrested previously due to the devices being inaccurate, but once he had complied, blew a blood alcohol content of .14, nearly twice the legal limit. Due to this breathalyzer and field sobriety test results, he was arrested and taken to Shasta County Jail, where he refused to comply with blood and urine tests to confirm his alcohol level. The officers had not been told of the illegally concealed handgun; they had found the weapon when searching the vehicle before it was towed.
Even more concerning than all of the previously mentioned charges is the August 2006 charge for child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury on a 13 year-old boy. The various witness accounts all point to the same story; Ball tackled and pinned the boy to the ground and beat him with a metal Maglite, put him in a headlock and punched him in the face repeatedly. The victim and his sister are the children of a woman Ball was dating, and had run away from home after arguing with their mother and Ball. When the two adults found the children, Ball attacked the boy and it resulted in the boy being taken to the hospital as a trauma patient due to the severity of his injuries. Ball also requested to be taken to the hospital, as he had been hit with the Maglite after the victim’s sister had gotten it away from him. Once he was medically cleared, he was arrested and taken to the Shasta County Jail. Ball was able to plead the charges down to a misdemeanor. Ball maintains that the witnesses were not truthful, and that he was the victim in the situation.
It is concerning that Dale Ball is one of the current frontrunners in the District Two recall election, as it would appear that a better option for the District Two seat is the Supervisor under threat of recall, Leonard Moty. Recall proponents claim that Moty has mishandled the county response to Covid, when in truth, the county has no authority to make changes to the state-mandated plans. Another claim is that Moty is corrupt, but as of this date, no specific claims of corruption nor proof have been brought forward, other than the rather tame Grand Jury ruling of misfeasance, which even that report asserts no crime was committed. History has shown Moty has managed county business to the best of his abilities, maintained the professionalism befitting of public office, and unlike candidate Ball, his criminal record is non-existent.
And that’s the breakdown.
Criminal Record Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nVFiXvPUeu1YtINVKKFfYYmeCwS0XNB_?usp=sharing
