THREE EAST BAY cases currently in the news involving sexual allegations against people in authority serve as a reminder that we should be careful not to judge before the legal process has played out.

The first involves Kay Sorg, a former Albany Middle School science teacher who has admitted to a sexual relationship with a former student in the early 1990s. The Alameda County district attorney's office agreed to drop charges against her in exchange for the admission and her agreement to quit the school district and surrender her teaching credential.

Some will be quick to criticize the deal, saying that the punishment wasn't severe enough. But we must balance it with the concerns of the victim, who wanted to move on with her life. Deputy District Attorney Danielle Hilton said the victim had been "villainized in the community" for her accusation.

Clearly, some defenders of Sorg had a hard time believing her accuser. Sorg's admission should put those doubts to rest and serve as the first reminder not to rush to judgment.

The second case has the same lesson, but a completely opposite result. The case involves a well-known Bay Area vocal coach accused of molesting his students.

Three boys testified at a two-day preliminary hearing that James Toland touched them inappropriately during singing lessons at his former Lafayette home. But, at the end, Judge John Sugiyama dismissed the charges after

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hearing testimony from other students and teachers who had worked with Toland.

They said the touching was a common and necessary positioning of the pelvis for vocal instruction. Sugiyama said it was evident that touching had occurred, but he said he could not find that there was a sexual intent.

Toland still faces a charge that he gave marijuana to a teenage student. The judge expressed concern about the teenager's memory, but said that matter needs to be sorted out by a trial court.

Again, before drawing conclusions, let's let the legal process conclude. And let's keep the Sorg and Toland cases in the back of our minds as we read about the charges against Contra Costa sex crimes prosecutor Michael Gressett.

The allegations in that case are very serious, specifically that he raped and sodomized a fellow district attorney at his Martinez home in early May.

Gressett says the accusations are false. His attorney says that Gressett and his accuser were involved in a romantic relationship and that this is a "he-said, she-said" kind of case.

To be sure, there are lots of questions about this case. Why did it take nearly five months for the accusations to reach police? Martinez police said the district attorney's office knew of them far earlier.

Is there a political component to the accusations against Gressett, who ran unsuccessfully for district attorney three times, including once against his current boss? The case was turned over to state prosecutors to avoid a conflict but the investigation has been aided by members of the district attorney's office, leading Gressett's attorney to allege the inquiry "smacks of politics at a very deep level."

We will be hearing much more about the case in the weeks and months to come.

Drawing lessons from the Sorg and Toland cases, we need to wait to see the evidence before judging Gressett.