You have been busted for a crime and are on trial. You dont like the way your trial is proceeding and think your lawyer was in the lower third of his graduating class. you have asked the judge for a new lawyer, but he said no. What do you do?
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Don't like your lawyer? Slugging him won't help Attack costs defendant right to public defense By Emily Gurnon William E. Lehman didn't like the way his trial was going, saying he thought his court-appointed lawyer had "sabotaged" his defense. So he beat him up. Lehman, 58, of Chisholm, Minn., who was on trial for assault, had asked the judge for a new attorney. The judge said no. After everyone returned from a break, Lehman attacked public defender Mark Groettum from behind, locking his arm around his neck and punching him repeatedly in the face. A chair was knocked over, and both men ended up on the floor. "Blood was all over Groettum, the counsel table and the floor of the courtroom," according to a court document. And it all happened in front of the jury, the judge and all the others in the Hibbing courtroom. Groettum told 6th Judicial District Judge James Florey that ethically he could no longer be Lehman's attorney. Lehman asked for another lawyer, but the judge turned him down. Lehman was forced to represent himself for the rest of the trial. The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday agreed with Florey's decision, writing in a published opinion that a defendant gives up his right to a court-appointed lawyer when he beats up the one he has. "No court can carry on its business in an atmosphere of violence, fear and intimidation," Court of Appeals Judge Francis Connolly wrote for the three-judge panel that included Judges Thomas Kalitowski and David Minge. "We are aware that forfeiting a defendant's right to court-appointed counsel is an extremesanction," Connolly continued. "But the outrageous and manipulative conduct of appellant in this instance justified the district court's decision." The district judge believed the attack was an attempt by Lehman to provoke a mistrial in the case, the appeals court said. Lehman was punished for his outburst in other ways. For the remainder of the trial, the judge ordered him shackled and dressed in his orange jail suit. Inmates are normally given the right to wear street clothes during a trial so the jury is not biased by their appearance. Lehman's appeals attorney, Mark Nyvold of the state public defender's office, declined to comment on the case. In his brief to the Court of Appeals, Nyvold wrote that Lehman was entitled to a hearing before the court determined he wouldn't get a new lawyer. No such hearing took place. He also wrote that Lehman had a right to be present when the attorneys and judge were discussing whether he should be shackled and dressed in jail garb. Whether the right to an attorney can be forfeited appears not to have been considered by a court in Minnesota until Tuesday's ruling, the appeals court said. The St. Louis County trial, which took place in July 2006, centered on a case in which Lehman was charged with knifing two men during a dispute about their loud music. In his defense, he said he feared the neighbors were scheming to steal money from him. The incident was one of several in Lehman's long criminal history, which includes assault, armed robbery and an armed escape from custody, according to the criminal complaint in the case. Despite that history, his attorney, Groettum, said the attack took him by surprise. Had he ever been beaten up by a client before? "I've never been beaten up by anybody!" he said. Since beginning his career in 1982, Groettum, 50, has worked part time for the public defender's office and part time on private cases, ranging from family law to bankruptcy to criminal cases. But he hasn't been the victim of violence. In the Lehman case, Groettum bled profusely from the face and nose and suffered a cut lip and a black eye. Lehman was convicted and is serving 14 years at the Moose Lake state prison. For the attack on the lawyer, the judge threw in another six months for contempt of court. |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 863 86.3%
Ever seen that classic movie...FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH?
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No pot luck for cash-strapped Kiwi Posted 4 hours 13 minutes ago A New Zealand man who found himself in a service station queue with no money has attempted to pay for his food with cannabis, the Dominion Post newspaper reported. Unfortunately he did not get a chance to discover whether the attendant would accept his offer, as the person behind him in the queue was a police officer. The man's attempt to buy two packets of chocolate and a packet of potato chips to satisfy his "munchies" was caught short when he was arrested. He must have been hungry, as he failed to notice the police patrol car being filled with petrol, the paper reported. The 28-year-old mechanic from the small North Island town of Carterton pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis in the Masterton District Court and was remanded for sentencing. - Reuters |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 863 86.3%
Although we are making fun of these criminals keep in mind why they are criminals in the first place... cause they aren't very bright!
International Level: New Activist / Political Participation: 23 2.3%
I heard one on the radio the other day and it wasn't clear on WHAT/WHERE he was robbing because it was a partial playback from the morning show but the gist was the he went to rob the place and the employees told him that they had no access to the safe, only the manager did. When asking where he was, they said he was out.
So, he gave them his cell phone number and told them to call immediately when he returned!
DUH!
International Level: New Activist / Political Participation: 17 1.7%
Stoner1: DUDE...let's go jet skiing.
Stoner2: Righteous idea DUDE, but I aint going nowhere without my bong and stash!
Stoner1: Shhhaaa...as if! Hop on and lets ride some tastey waves and cop a awesome buzz.
Stoner2: I never did a bong with Sea Water...AWESOME!
Stoner1: Whoaaa...not cool...cops! Hide the stuff DUDE!
Stoner2: No problem DUDE, I will put it in my pocket, cops are stupid and will never look there. I just hope the bong is cold enough or I am going to get wicked rash.
Stoner1: That Sea Water really increased my high...when we get out of this...we need to move near the ocean so we can get sea water whenever we want!
Stoner2: Good thoughts DUDE!
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Todays contribution that furthers my appreciation for those that TOKE IT UP!
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Jet ski passenger tries to hide pot from officer A man riding a personal watercraft in Bay County stuffed something in his pocket as an officer from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approached, according to the FWC's weekly report. The vessel had numerous safety violations, the officer noted. The passenger had a bag of marijuana in his pocket and also had a glass pipe. The operator had an outstanding arrest warrant from Walton County for failure to appear for driving on a suspended license. Citations were issued and the operator was booked into the Walton County Jail. |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 863 86.3%
Car keys...check.
Purse...check.
ID...check.
Umbrella...check.
286 bricks of heroin...check.
as MasterCard says, the rest is Priceless:
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Woman Arrested After Police Discover Heroin In Open Purse PITTSBURGH, Penn. -- Pittsburgh narcotics detectives found 286 bricks of heroin during a traffic stop in Beechview Tuesday afternoon. This arrest came after an anonymous caller alerted police to drug activity at a residence on the 1500 block of Rutherford Avenue. Officers staked out the address until they saw a vehicle leave from the driveway. They followed the car until the driver ran through a stop sign at Cape May and Hampshire streets. At that point, the officers pulled over the white Chevrolet Lumina. During the traffic stop, undercover officers observed an open purse in the front seat of the vehicle. Inside the purse were several bricks of heroin in plain view, police said. The suspect, Tonia Jones, was taken into custody and police said she consented to a search of her home, where detectives said they discovered an additional 278 bricks of heroin and $5,759 currency. The total value of the drugs is estimated at $170,000. The 286 bricks of heroin translate to approximately 14,300 stamp bags. Jones was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and will be charged with possession with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance, and two vehicle code violations. |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 863 86.3%
Now I'm not saying this from experience just observation. The more you get into crime and don't get arrested the more you feel untouchable and become sloppy. When you get sloppy the police find you every time.
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 3231 100%
Don't you just hate it when this happens:
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Kiss of Breath: Teen Arrested for DWI Blames Macking Gianna Vigliotti was swept up in Nassau County's DWI crackdown and campaign to publicly announce DWI arrests (with arrestees' names, hometowns and mugshots) in order to deter drunk driving, but it turns out the 17-year-old resident told the police her Memorial Day weekend DWI was all a mistake. According to Newsday, Vigliotti blew a 0.15 blood alcohol level (the legal limit is 0.08) but apparently told the cop who pulled her over, "I didn't drink! I was kissing a boy who was drunk." The cop, though, found Vigliotti to be slurring and "four full beer bottles under the passenger seat of her Volkswagen and an empty beer can in her purse." A lawyer for Vigliotti, who has a court appearance on June 18, criticized the decision to distribute her arrest information to the media, "To now have it publicized is not only embarrassing, but demeaning as well." Hopefully other people have taken Nassau County's DWI Wall of Shame to heart--Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi's office announced the program will continue this weekend and may do so for the foreseeable future. Suozzi spokeswoman Jennifer Kim told Newsday, "I imagine that we will be continuing to do this for a little while." |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 863 86.3%