"At least David Yocom is consistent; he always protects his political friends," Evans said. "I think the public now will come to understand the good old boys network on the Democratic Party side. They'll do what they want and they'll make the law fit whatever it is they want to do."

Yocom's brief letter to Anderson makes little mention of how he conducted the inquiry and why using the money for the Italy trip was legal. According to the letter, the decision not to pursue criminal action was based on a number of witnesses, financial records, documents, policies and state statutes.

Lohra Miller, an attorney assisting the county's Republican Party, said she still wants Yocom to conduct a more thorough investigation of the Torino trip, as well as a criminal investigation into the bar tab. That case, she said, should not merely be a civil inquiry.

"I question the extent of the investigation and the adequacy of the investigation if he's merely asking Rocky his side of the story," Miller said.

Yocom's findings

District Attorney David Yocom conducted a preliminary inquiry into the use of public funds to pay for a trip to Torino, Italy, by Mayor Rocky Anderson and his girlfriend, Deputy Mayor Rocky Fluhart and his wife and several friends of the mayor.

Yocom's conclusion: "No criminal acts occurred in the solicitation or expenditure of public funds for the 'Message to Torino Project.' " Yocom wrote in a letter Monday to Anderson.

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com