What really happened to Noah Krom?
Congressional candidate Beth Krom suffered a personal tragedy in June of this year, when her son Noah, who was a student at U.C. Santa Barbara, fell off the Isla Vista cliffs and died.
At the time this blog was attacked by Krom’s supporters over at the Liberal OC Blog for daring to connect the dots. The Krom family declined to tell us how Krom died. In our own research we discovered the truth – based on media reports in Santa Barbara. All we did was connect the dots.
What is curious about this case is that the toxicology report was never released. The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department said it was coming. It never did. We have contacted them via their website – and been ignored. Today we left a message for their Public Information Officer. It too will likely be ignored.
At the time of Krom’s death, many of our readers, including eyewitnesses, wrote that Krom had been drunk and that he had vaulted over a fence and fallen off the cliff in an attempt to avoid paying a cab fare. In the absence of the toxicology report we simply cannot confirm that.
And an important public safety issue came out when readers suggested that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies who responded to a 911 call made after the fall, failed to go to the bottom of the cliff to check on Krom. Instead they used their flashlights, from atop the cliff, saw nothing and left. The body was found the next morning by beachgoers.
Did the deputies fail to do their job? Was Krom alive initially after the fall? Could he have been saved? We may never know.
And how did this apparent cover-up come to pass? Did the Krom family cut a deal with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff? Did they agree not to sue him and his department for negligence if they made the toxicology report go away?
What if Krom was not drunk? Shouldn’t the report be released in order to clear his name?
And why did the media give up on this story?
So many questions – and so few answers. We may never know what really happened to Noah Krom. But we have to wonder if his mom engaged in a cover-up of the facts. Given the public safety issues involved – and the fact that Krom died on a public beach, the Sheriff’s Department has a duty to release the report. Somehow I doubt they will…
Is this REALLY an important issue? The poor kid is dead, the family buried him and continues to grieve over his loss. What is to be gained by ripping the scab off this wound? Even if Noah was drunk and leaped off that cliff, what difference does it make? Will you stand at the top of the cliff, point your finger down at his mangled body and yell, “You deserved it because you were drunk.”? C’mon, you really can’t hate Beth Krom that much that you want to inflict more pain on her and her family, can you? Please give this up…
Art, even if all of your wild accusations were true, how does this relate to her campaign or her job on the Irvine City Council?
Art, my friend, I have to say I agree with these two. Your judgment is off on this one, and I wish you would take this down.
Vern,
I think you are all wrong. Did you even read the post?
There are important public considerations in this case. The public deserves to know what happened.
Who covered this up? Why?
If the Santa Barbara deputies failed to do their job, the oublic needs to know.
I am sorry if this story is inconvenient to your party’s candidate. But did she personally arrange this cover-up?
Again, the accident happened on a public beach. If no one resolves this case we will never know if any other parties were liable.
This post was not irresponsible. It was based on actual media reports, just as our previous post was.
Why is the Santa Barbara Sheriff engaging in a cover-up? Does no one care to know the truth?
If this was a poor Hispanic or African American youth that died you can bet the police/toxicology report would be available. When it’s a Jewish boy from a politically well connected family involved then the media is stonewalled and those courageous enough to ask why are put down as being insensitive. Do I detect a double standard?
Yes, I read the post. And my revulsion to it has nothing to do with parties, I’d say the same if it was John Campbell’s son. You are very much exaggerating the “public considerations” here in your stubbornness.
Judgement is way off for sure on this one Art, this is just petty.
Just give it up Art, Cover-up? really? If Santa Barbara authorities failed to do their jobs let the taxpayers and residents of that city question it, but you Art, Please.
“…if you can’t run your own house, you certainly can’t run the White House.” I know the Irvine City Council is not the White House and Orange Juice is not Michelle Obama, but…
Art, I agree with othes, this is not appropriate and should come down. Decency and common sense overcome any “public considerations.”
Have some decency. Sure, what blogger dose not crave attention from controversy?? However, are page hits and attention worth trading for your decency and dignity? Rethink your post and apologize for an error in judgment.
As a parent, why would YOU wish to be the source of further pain for an unbearable loss?
#10,
Have you no interest in salvaging Noah’s reputation? What if he was sober?
Because of this cover-up, we may never know what really happened to him that night.
Why do you Art? That desperate to find a story? Disgusting!
Heaven forbid if this happen to your loved ones I wouldn’t be blasting “cover-up” or railing for your reputation, You’ve already F’d that up years ago.
I for one would be interested in knowing more about an alleged coverup. What is so indecent about the truth?
I think all the information needs to come out. Then the family and the community can move on.
Wow.
How do you really think that you are helping anyone in this matter? You claim it is an important public safety issue. Even if that were true that is a Santa Barbara issue.
No matter his state sober or drunk, what does his reputation mean? He is dead.
If he was sober, Is the family clambering for an investigation? And if he was drunk what does that say about Beth Krom? nothing.
Really shocked at your approach to this.
#15,
Beth Krom has been nailed repeatedly by the OC Weekly and other newspapers for covering up corruption involving her city and the Great Park.
Now it appears that her handlers have covered up what happened to her son. Is that possible? Her family includes media figures back east. And her campaign team includes a plethora of PR spinners. So yes, it is entirely possible.
Bottom line – this is a public case and it deserves public scrutiny. And as Beth is running for Congress all of this should lead to the obvious question – do we really want to send someone to Congress who routinely covers up information that should otherwise be made public?
The media is asleep at the wheel – so we stepped in and asked the question. It is an important question. Rather than killing the messenger, you should be asking Krom and her team to come clean.
And who knows? Maybe this is all about the Santa Barbara Sheriff. I looked him up. He is a very questionable Republican who is interested in running for an Assembly seat. How much money do you think it took to pay him off and cover up this report? Who paid it?
So many questions. So few answers…
Art, my friend, you REALLY do need to let this go. You’re like a pit bull with it’s teeth clenched so tightly on a bone that it’s perspective is being distorted. All this chewing and salivating on this issue is, at the very least, unseemly. Please step back and read these comments… many come from those you consider allies. Give their opinions some serious consideration. Once again, the poor kid is dead. The more you persist in pushing this issue here in public the more you look like a heartless bully. I’m very disappointed and, quite honestly, a little ashamed.
It’s tragic that Noah died too young, however if the SBPD failed to fully explore and/or investigate the fall off a cliff of a person, I’d want to know why. Police officers are public servants and should’ve been more responsive to the call about someone falling off a cliff. Shining a flashlight from the top of the cliff warrants a bright light on the SBPD.
#17,
Yes I know. I gathered as much from your previous comment on this post. Blogging is not for everyone. You have to have a thick skin. I have always been willing to ask questions the other blogs in town won’t touch. I am sure this won’t be the last time I anger a few folks. I can live with that.
Again, I disagree. I think this is a legitimate story. Numerous media sources referenced the pending toxicology report back in June. How many months have since passed – and still no report? What happened?
It is in character for me to question what politicians do. That is what I am doing in this case. This entire episode has been fishy from the start.
All I am asking is, what happened? Is that really so bad? Why has this been covered up?
Call it insensitive if you must. Had Krom died in his bedroom, this would have been off limits. But he fell off a cliff and died on a public beach. And there are allegations that the local police did not do their job that evening.
The toxicology report would clear up a lot of these questions. Why has it been smothered?
By the way, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department did not return my call. What a surprise…
I am not sure what prompted this post, Art. You just get up in the morning and think, “What the dickens is taking that toxicology report so long?” Weird…
However uncomfortable this whole thing is, does anyone think there could be some negative ramifications to the Krom campaign by the fact that the follow-up to this death IS out of the ordinary, ie… appears to be very different than what NORMALLY would occur if it was any one of us or our own loved ones? I doubt that John Campbell would directly bring up this subject, but there are lots of other sources that might. Is this something that will not go away and become a liability to Krom’s race? I really don’t have the answers, and that’s why I am asking.
Also, I wished you had provided a link/s to the original story posted at OJ, Art. There were a number of people who showed up here to comment. There was discussion about how those cliffs were so dangerous and have been the cause of accidents and accidental deaths year after year. With a high profile accidental death like Mr. Krom’s, one would think that SB might take some long-needed corrective measures to ensure the safety of the students who live there and attend college/University there. If Noah’s death could have been prevented, it would be a travesty if others could meet the same fate, in the future again. The Krom family has been through a very terrible loss, but they ARE in a unique position of influence to help correct things going forward, it would seem.
Red Vixen,
Good points. Remember how quickly Michael Jackson’s toxicology report was released? That is definitely more the norm.
Beth Krom’s attack on Steven Choi, over at the Lib OC, reminded me to check on the toxicology report. I had emailed the SB Sheriff a long time ago. This time I called, and still no response.
I was amazed when I checked to see if any other media sources followed up on this. Nothing. Nada. Zero.
If this was a cover-up, it was a real doozy of a cover-up…
Also, remember that Krom’s PR friend Bruce Manning came on here and ripped us after we first posted about Krom’s death? Manning has since died himself. You have to wonder if he was involved in the cover-up. But now of course he is not in a position to answer any questions.
We may never find out what really happened.
You say “If this was a cover-up…” in one breath, and then “Because of this cover-up…” in the next.
LOL. That’s just crazy, dude. Get back on your meds.
#23,
Krom died in June. We’re now in December and we’re still waiting for the toxicology report.
If it isn’t a cover-up then what is it?
If anyone is on meds it is the blue Kool Aid drinkers who refuse to take off their blinders…
COVER-UP!
If this were Noe Rodriguez… well you know how it is.
Let me email them through their website too!
” Manning has since died himself. You have to wonder if he was involved in the cover-up”
Now this whole thing is getting very spooky! Makes a thinking person wonder what the heck is going on with this investigation. Thank you Mr Pedroza for having the courage to ask the tough questions, day after day, when no one else will.
“Blue” Kool-Aid? You still think this is a partisan thing then. Jesus.
Vern,
Please. Of course it is. Melahat quit her job as E.D. of the DPOC to run the Krom campaign. There are a whole bunch of Dems who have a lot riding on Krom.
Her son’s death is an inconvenient truth that they would rather cover up so they can continue with the campaign.
This same bunch will be lining up for jobs at Krom’s congressional office if she wins.
For the record, I don’t like her opponent, John Campbell. I think he sucks. But Krom is corrupt and is not a good choice either. I would not vote for either of them.
This whole mess didn’t have to go down this way. But in the age of the Internet nothing stays hidden for long…
No, Art, I do not think conservative Republican Geoff “The Pot Stirrer” West is wearing Blue Kool-Aid blinders when he criticizes this story.
As a matter of fact, neither am I, and probably most of the other commenters here either. This is not the LOC.
Well, I see that we can’t talk sense into you on this, so we’ll just have to do what we did when you wouldn’t take down that “Bustamante Drunk Driving” post last year – keep putting up new stuff until this gets off the front page! C’est la vie…
Vern,
Geoff takes offense at my work about once a quarter. I was about due to upset him again.
And it is too late. The gato is out of the bag. This was our top story today. It got five times the hits that your Melissa Fox story got, as per Google Analytics, and while you were grousing we got over 2,000 visits to our blog today.
Now let’s wait and see if anyone in the mainstream media bites. I doubt it, but you never know.
And I will update the story if and when I hear back from the SB Sheriff’s Department.
Art, I guess your last post says it all. I suppose you’re right – I to take offense at things you’ve written about once a quarter, because I find them offensive! I’ve written to you privately about them in the past…
It’s clear from your last post, #30, that it’s all about the numbers. I think it’s unconscionable to inflict such emotional damage on a family who has recently lost a son just to spin your hit counter. You and your cadre of writers have demonstrated over the past several months that you can spin that wheel by simply posting good stories. What’s next – photos of murdered babies or how about some nice porn? Do you think you’re William Randolph Hearst, for goodness sake?
You’re going to do what you’re going to do… that doesn’t keep me from being disappointed…
Pot Stirrer: I think it’s unconscionable to inflict such emotional damage on a family who has recently lost a son just to spin your hit counter.
I REALLY doubt that the Krom family is traumatized by a fairly obscure blog like OJ. Really. 2K visitors at OJ is a HUGE day for numbers. The discussions here are fairly insignificant in the big picture of things.
Plus, that Krom clan is in POLITICS and what Art writes about here is probably pretty insignificant compared to what John Campbell might use against Beth in next year’s election. Beth Krom IS the best candidate for that office and Art even has to admit that Campbell needs a good replacing. Things COULD get dirty. And IF this turns out to be some kind of cover up, you don’t think that the Campbell camp won’t try and make hay out of it?
Art’s a lot like the kid who shouts out, “Mommy, what’s wrong with that man?!?” or “You’re FAT!” impulsively to what he observes. Awkward for sure. But there IS truth to the basic observation. WHO really wants to deal with such bluntness? Some cringe, some are just glad he said it out in the open.
Like Vern says, all us bystanders can do is try and move things along to new topics to distance readership from some of the more uncomfortable posts. But it DID get said.
As for speculation about blog numbers, dead babies and porn – YOU read this damned blog, so WHY would you find it so outrageous that Art caters to other readers who also would find OJ controversial enough to keep reading and maybe just be stirred up enough to post several times, even in protest, to any given story? If you noticed, not ALL of the posters thought Art was “wrong”. And one thing’s for sure – EVERYONE who posted comments got to say their piece. Try THAT on some of the other local blogs and see if your comment even gets to remain!
one other thing….
You’re going to do what you’re going to do… that doesn’t keep me from being disappointed…
Dude!! It looks like you can’t be kept from reading here, either
Pot Stirrer,
Isn’t it ironic that the supposedly grieving Krom sent out an email yesterday asking us to give her money because she is turning 50?
And isn’t it funny that a guy who calls himself the pot stirrer gets upset when I stir the pot?
I did not put this post up for the numbers. Look at our Sitemeter data. We get good numbers no matter what we put up. But I pointed out the numbers because they showed that despite all the bleating, this was our top post of the day. If readers were so disgusted, why did they read it?
This post simply dared to ask a simple question. What happened to the Noah Krom toxicology report? It is a good question. It begs a second question – who covered it up?
Hopefully a reporter will read this post and ask the very same questions…
#34 said: “This post simply dared to ask a simple question. What happened to the Noah Krom toxicology report? It is a good question. It begs a second question – who covered it up?”
I may have some answers for you #34. I have a friend, toxicologists, in the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department and here is the scoop.
It is actually embarrassing story because there is no toxicology report available in this case and none can be generated due to the incident which happened as follows:
In order to get accurate analysis the brain is usually removed and stored for 2 weeks to harden. Same as in Jackson’s case.
The Santa Barbara Sheriff has its K-9 unit next to the Pathology Lab.
For some unknown reason the entrance door into the lab and one dog cage were left unlocked and two dogs got out. Following the pleasing scent of fresh cut cadavers they got into the lab.
Yes!… They eaten the brain.
So here you have it #34.
Keep digging–there is more to this death than meets the eye…
“I REALLY doubt that the Krom family is traumatized by a fairly obscure blog like OJ.”
So which is it; an obscure blog, or the most influential political blog in the State of California?
You can’t have it both ways, shifting whenever it suits your agenda.
Anon.
while I have stayed off this thread, one thing is very clear.
At least we know that one individual apparently likes this blog which has been confirmed by your many comments on our stories.
Merry Christmas!
Larry
#37,
I think Red means that in the national scope, we are relatively obscure. Here in California, and particularly in Orange County, we do have quite an impact, whether you like it or not.
Potstirrer said:
“…or how about some nice porn?”
I second the motion.
This post doesn’t feel any different to me than a typical Rachel Maddow hatchet job story, but I wouldn’t have written it. However, on hindsight, that would be because I wouldn’t have thought that it would reveal hypocrisy the way it has. Truly, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are being attacked, and straw men galore are being hailed.
Nothing to see here! Nothing to see! (wave arms wildly for distraction) Move along now, move along. Just some pathetic loser trying for numbers… what nutters.
Andy Kaufman would be proud… Hats off.
Terry,
You would not have written it because you never write about local issues…
And I can’t make heads or tails out of most of what you do write!
How’s the weather out there in Colorado?
I also have no idea what Terry was trying to say there.
Except for he thinks the hated Rachel Maddow would also write a post accusing a political opponent of covering up the toxicology report of her dead son.
This is disgusting. Take it down. I do not need to know the details. Please move on.
#45,
I just received a phone call today from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Dept. PIO. Apparently they are awaiting some tests. They are going to call me when the toxicology report is ready.
Interesting that it took six months for this to come to pass. Perhaps this post had an affect on the process?
That is my way of saying that no, this post is NOT coming down.
This is sad. This blog is often entertaining and thought provoking, but the posts regarding this matter are wrong and display a very strong lack of human decency.
Supe View,
Welcome to posting on OJ. Your comment is kinda weak. I look forward to something more robust in the future!
Again, Welcome
Rv – -
RV-
Thank you for the welcome note, even though I have been posting for awhile now. Thank you for the criticism of my post. It was very enlightening. I will try to fill my posts with more words now and in the future in order to look more “robust” for you.
“And why did the media give up on this story?” – Because even the media has more respect and decency than Art Pedroza on this matter.
I don’t live in Irvine, I don’t know Beth Krom, I didn’t know Noah Krom and I have no other conceivable connections to this story, but it sickens me that Art and those in charge of this blog allow this to remain on the site. That is just my opinion.
Supe, let me echo Red’s welcome without the caveat, and also: the more we comment on this story the more attention we call to it, so let’s stop for now.
One has to wonder if Vern was one of those that engaged in attacks directed at Jenna Bush and her underage drinking issues? I guess it was relevant then huh Vern?
Beautiful. Examine wingnut logic.
One has to wonder if Vern was one of those that engaged in attacks directed at Jenna Bush and her underage drinking issues?
Um… no actually, never even gave that any thought, let alone wrote about it.
I guess it was relevant then huh Vern?
HUH? Quick giant leap huh? Right out into thin air… Oh well, thanks for letting us know it’s all about politics for you I guess.
Supe View,
I apologize. I must have missed your previous postings. But the welcome does stand, however belatedly
I often resist posts that are general in negativity, but short on specifics (like #44). Thanks for the longer version of your complaints about this thread. It is interesting to me that you don’t really have a dog in this hunt, yet you are adamently opposed to this type of discussion. Can you say what it is exactly that is so off-limits?
I’m not sure if there is actually a polite way to say that this young man’s death was not given justice in the current system. Or is it the possible results of the upcoming toxicology reports that are so off-putting?
You can clearly see by the comments that there is NOT overwhelming consensus among the posters about what is important or even proper.