Sixth time the charm for city’s interim attorney, who says he was falsely charged of spousal battery by one wife - Vallejo Times-Herald

Sixth time the charm for city’s interim attorney, who says he was falsely charged of spousal battery by one wife - Vallejo Times-Herald


Sixth time the charm for city’s interim attorney, who says he was falsely charged of spousal battery by one wife - Vallejo Times-Herald

Posted: 16 Oct 2020 09:32 PM PDT

Randy Risner laughs, pondering his first of six — yes, six — walks down the aisle. He was 19. That fuzzy memory — starting a journey that carried with it both painful divorces and what Vallejo's interim city attorney says were false spousal battery charges — from 41 years ago isn't fuzzy enough.

"I was an idiot," Risner said. "I was really young and I had some friends who got married young."

It was only the beginning for Risner, whose marriages, apparently, had the lifespan of a pro football running back. That initial vow exchange lasted six years, basically through most of Risner's tenure with the U.S. Coast Guard. He continues with his military service as a colonel in the California National Guard.

Wife No. 2? Survived the rigors of a difference of opinion for four years.

"I wanted to have children and she didn't," Risner said, regretting that during courtship "we never actually discussed it. I made an assumption."

Ah, but ya know what they say about "assumption" — it makes an attorney out of you and me.

Then comes the painful memories of wife No. 3. It was 1996 and Risner says he was erroneously arrested for spousal battery.

"It was during a divorce. It happened. Charges were dismissed. She falsely accused me," Risner said. "My ex called the police two other times with no arrests. The police came, saw nothing was going on and left. They did suggest one of the times that I get a hotel room."

Risner had filed for divorce and the courts awarded him 50-50 custody of the couple's 3-year-old son.

Risner said he attempted to pick up his son and his ex-wife "came after me with a baseball bat" and kept him from entering his car while she called the sheriff — "who puts me in handcuffs and says I bashed her head in with a rock."

Risner said he spent "a few hours" in jail. Though wife No. 3 filed a motion to remove his son, a judge denied her request. Risner said he agreed to a lie detector test, passed "and they dismissed the charges, which were misdemeanor charges."

"After she made those first false accusations, I had to get out," Risner said.

There was a second instance of accusations with wife No. 3. He was a chief of staff in Fresno and running for mayor. With the accusation, he dropped out of the race.

"Consultants said that's the end of it," Risner said.

Risner believes wife No. 3 is in Nebraska. Their son, now 27, lives in Denver.

As attorney, Risner acknowledged he was court-sanctioned for fraud in a bankruptcy case in Fresno. The judge said Risner failed in paying a filing fee "and she said it was 'tantamount to fraud on the court.' She never said 'I'm sanctioning you for fraud.' Fraud is really serious. If I had committed fraud, would the judge let me continue to practice in her court? He was fined $250.

Risner said the City did two background checks  — one for chief assistant city attorney and one for city attorney. It was confirmed by Mayor Bob Sampayan, who deemed Risner "very competent and easy to get along with."

He moved on from there — and to wife No. 4.

"I think six years," Risner said. Two more sons resulted.

And wife No. 5, which became official somewhere in 2004 or 2005?

"She ended that in 2008," said Risner.

The attorney wasn't done. Not yet.

"I'm a serial monogamist," he said.

Ah, but this time, Risner had to venture beyond America's borders. He married a woman from Paris.

"It took me a long time to find the right person," Risner said. "She has a little different outlook on the world. My life has been totally different since she and I got together."

Risner's future wife No. 6 owned a French bakery in Fresno when the two met in 2015. They made it to five years last January.

So far, so good, said Risner, adding that his parents somehow refrained from any lecture throughout his wedding bliss and wedding miss.

"They were generally supportive," Risner said. "They would question me: 'Are you sure?' But my parents were never ones to interfere in my life. Once I was an adult, it was hands off as far as decisions I made and what I did."

His parents married at 18. While his mother is 80 and lives in Tennessee, Risner's father died in 2017 of leukemia after a career in the factories.

"I always had this life of having the idealistic life with a wife and family and a nice home," Risner said.

He thinks he's on the right path, believing Sophie is up for his marriage longevity record of seven years. Not that she wasn't wary of his betrothed and bewitched history.

"When I first told her (of the previous five wives), she was shocked. It was like 'You're kidding?' We had discussions," Risner said.

They took a year of getting to know each other.

"We talked about whether we should get married or not. We decided it would be a good thing for us," Risner said, grateful that "her family loves me."

And his job with the City of Vallejo? Risner said he happily prefers life under the radar.

"The city attorney is not a policy maker," Risner said. "We call balls and strikes. I want to help them get to where they want to go."

When Risner was told he wasn't going to be named "permanent" city attorney, "there was disappointment, of course," he said. "I've done a lot of good work and I'm involved in an effort to reform the police department. I think we are doing some good things."

The interim city attorney job "is very stressful," Risner said. "But I like the work. The issues are fascinating, especially the ones facing Vallejo. They always have an issue that presents a challenge. There's a lot of stuff going on in this town."

In about a month, Vallejo is expected to name its city attorney, dropping Risner back to his previous gig as chief assistant to the city attorney.

But there's one priority — talking his son out of following in his matrimonial footsteps before it's time.

"He wants to get married. He's 21," said Risner. "He has been pretty good at listening. I thought at that age I knew a lot. The reality was, I didn't know anything."

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