Sheriff Jim Kenison

I don’t know the exact dates of Sheriff Jim Kenison’s term of office, but I do know that he was sheriff for a long time in the 1940’s and 50’s.  As with all law enforcement politicians, Sheriff Jim cast a wide net gathering his supporters.  I don’t have any idea whether or not he was a good sheriff, but I do know that he enjoyed his drinks, and didn’t like to drink alone.

When I was in elementary school, my father carried a Deputy Sheriff card in his wallet.  He enjoyed showing it around to anybody who would take the time to listen, and would have a good laugh about it.  I always wondered how many “deputies” there were around the county like my father.

Occasionally, when a friend or an out-of-town PG&E employee would show up, my father would take him and a quart of Jim Beam down to the jail for a visit with Sheriff Jim.  I never figured out what my father enjoyed more; just getting drunk or getting somebody deputized.  Most likely, it was about equal enjoyment.

One of my favorite stories about growing up in Auburn was what I like to refer to as “The First Audi Case.”  You may recall that in the 1970’s Audi cars had a lot of mechanical problems, and there were one or more well publicized lawsuits claiming that Audi malfunctions caused a number of accidents.

“The First Audi Case” refers to the night that Sheriff Jim came out of the Auburn Club on High Street at closing time, and got into his sheriff’s car.  What took place next was the source of local controversy for the next few months.  What was agreed on was that the car leaped the curb and plowed into the front of Floyd’s Café, next door to the Auburn Club.

The Sheriff was arrested by the local city police for drunk driving.  Sheriff Jim adamantly denied that he had been drinking over the legal limit, and claimed that the car had mechanically malfunctioned when it leaped forward rather than proceeding in reverse to back out into the street.

Well, what fun!  Lot’s of community interest in the pending trial.  Sheriff Jim hired one of the local well known attorneys; I don’t rightly remember is name.  Well, the Sheriff must have picked the right attorney, because the jury decided that he was innocent.  A mechanical malfunction, not too much alcohol.

As frequently happens, however, the story didn’t end there.  Either the Sheriff decided to not run in the next election or he was defeated.  I don’t recall.  That ended Sheriff Jim’s law enforcement career, as well as my father’s, as a “deputy.”