Letters to the Editor: Did Sheriff Alex Villanueva go too easy on Tiger Woods?

To the editor: Within hours of Tiger Woods' February crash in Rolling Hills Estates, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced that it was "purely an accident." How did he know?

Now, we know that Woods was traveling nearly double the speed limit. He has a previous DUI arrest and a history of reckless driving. He crashed right next to a high school with an enrollment of more than 1,500 students. My family and I as well as everybody else on the Palos Verdes Peninsula routinely travel this road without incident.

The bigger problem here is the behavior of the sheriff. He has completely lost his credibility. I don't know his motivation for going easy on Woods, and I really don't care.

Villanueva owes the people of Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County residents and most of all the deputies who work for him an apology. He has publicly embarrassed us all.

Kathryn Chamberlain, Rancho Palos Verdes

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To the editor: So now we know that the likely cause of Woods' car accident was excessive speed, almost 40 mph over the limit, but at the time of the crash it was determined that there was no need for a blood test to check for other possible factors, including alcohol and drugs.

I wonder if any regular person who did not have Woods' fame or fortune would be treated with such deference. Somehow I doubt it.

Kate Robinson, Van Nuys

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.