The Region : C. Arnholt Smith to Be Released Sunday

One-time “Mr. San Diego” and presidential confidant C. Arnholt Smith, 86, is scheduled to be released Sunday after spending less than eight months in custody for stealing $8.9 million from one of his companies. Smith’s one-year sentence will be cut because of his good behavior at a minimum-security facility, where he worked as a gardener. A San Diego County Probation Department official said, “He’s probably been one of the best gardeners we’ve ever had. . . .” Smith operated the San Diego Padres baseball club, Yellow Cab Co. of San Diego and the now-bankrupt U.S. National Bank. Among his close friends was former President Richard M. Nixon.