Category: Bizarre

Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Banking On Banks: Detroit Elects An Eight-Time Convicted Felon

Brian Banks successfully campaigned on a catchy slogan this election: “You Can Bank On Banks!” That may be true unless you are an actual bank. Banks has been convicted eight times for felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud. In some states, he would have faced a lengthy or even lifetime in prison as a habitual offender. However, in Detroit, Banks is the newest member of the state House of Representatives. What is interesting is that he was not the most unconventional candidate on the ballot in Michigan.

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Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Society

Cleveland Judge Orders Woman To Wear Sign Calling Herself An “Idiot” In Latest Shaming Punishment

I have previously written about the rise of shaming punishments in the United States in both blogs (here and here and here and here) and columns (here and here). We can now add Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Pinkey S. Carr to the ignoble line of judge meting out their own forms of justice through humiliating acts. In this case, as shown in the video below, Shena Hardin, 32, is requiring to wear a sign calling herself an “idiot” in public for repeatedly driving around a school bus on the sidewalk while children were boarding.

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Bizarre, Congress, Politics

Eighty Percent of Success Is Just [Not] Showing Up: Jesse Jackson Jr. Releected Despite Disappearance For Months

It appears that Woody Allen was wrong when he famously said that “eighty percent of success is showing up.” Jesse Jackson Jr. proved yesterday that success can be just not showing up. While Republicans are grappling this morning with the rather pathetic image of Todd Akin in Missouri, Democrats have Jesse Jackson Jr. in Illinois. At least Republicans can point out that their leadership opposed Akin and he was defeated. Jackson won reelection despite his disappearance for months from office and failure to actually campaign. He won despite rising allegations of corruption and his long-term residency in the Mayo Clinic for whatever are believed to be psychiatric problems. He won despite not explaining any of this to this constituents. Like Akin, the thought of withdrawing for the benefit of his constituents never appeared to a serious consideration. Yet, the people of the Illinois 2nd congressional district reelected him to Congress by a 63 percent vote.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Media, Politics, Society

Waiting For Democracy

As the polls grind to a close, various images linger from the humorous of a surfer voting in California fresh from the beach with his board to the inspiring of a woman in labor insisting on voting before going to the hospital. However, one image remains consistent across the country: absurdly long line. Despite scandals from 2008 of people waiting for hours to vote, election officials have again produced endless lines by failing to produce adequate voting machines for the expected vote in many areas. My voting place in McLean was wonderful – enough machines and short lines. However, I have heard nightmare stories from others around the region including over three hour waits in Maryland.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Religion, Society

Michigan Pastor Arrested After Killing Daughter of Fiancé In Sexual Fantasy And Then Dressing Her 3-Year-Old Son For Halloween

Pastor John D. White of Broomfield Township, Michigan is under arrest in a bizarre murder of the daughter of his fiancé in fulfillment of a sexual fantasy. The 14 members of Christ Community Fellowship Church knew that White was an ex-con but believed that he had changed in finding God.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Islamic Clerics: Hurricane Sandy Was Divine Judgment On America and A Call To Convert

Recently we discussed how Syrians were taking credit for sending Hurricane Sandy to devastate the United States as punishment for our opposition to the Assad regime. According to these sources, the hurricane was the creation of Iranian scientists and we noted that Christian ministers like Pat Robertson have long treated hurricanes as simple divine punishment — not some manufactured Sharia storm. Now, some Muslim clerics have shifted the account to a more traditional “God’s vengeance” theory. Clerics are telling the faithful that the hurricane was punishment for the recent YouTube video, “Innocence of Muslims.” Thank God it was only a trailer. It is frightening to imagine what would have been sent for the full-length movie.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

N-Bomb: Man Dies At Voodoo Festival In New Orleans From New Lethal Drug

There is a disturbing account of a death of a young man who participated in the annual Halloween celebrations in New Orleans. Clayton Otwell, 21, went to New Orleans with a friend to go to the Voodoo Festival in the City Park. After helping a stranger, he was offered the chance to try a new type of drug called 25-I. It took just one drop up the nose to kill him. The drug is called “N-Bomb” for its chemical composition 25I-NBOMe and is an extremely potent synthetic substance analogous to LSD.

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Animals, Bizarre, Criminal law

Omaha Police Under Investigation in Dog Shooting After Neighbor Produces Security Tape Allegedly Contradicting The Account Of Two Officers

We have another controversy (here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here) over the shooting of a dog by a police officer and the allegation that the officer lied about the dog threatening him before the shooting. In Omaha, Chris Schulte was walking his dog near his home when officers told him to stop because they had cut off the street in search of a criminal suspect. Schulte unwisely and inexplicably refused and continued to walk. That resulted in his arrest. Nothing particularly noteworthy there. However, witnesses later heard a shot and an officer reported that Schulte’s dog, Teela, had threatened — an account later contradicted according to the family by a security camera. Teela is a Labrador/golden retriever mix and has never had a reported incident of biting or threatening anyone.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Media

Transgender Person Alleges Discrimination For Being Asked To Leave Women’s Locker Room After Genitalia To Young Girls

There is an interesting case out of Olympia, Washington where a transgender person is alleging discrimination after being asked to leave the women’s locker room due to his exposing himself to young girls. In a case that is likely to become more common with the expanded rights for transgender individuals, the question is whether schools should bar such exposure in areas with young children or teens.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering

Public Defender Found Not Guilty In Case Of Assault On Prosecutor In Cook County

In my hometown of Chicago, it appears that the lawyers can generate their own criminal cases without the need for clients. Cook County Public Defender Henry Hams is facing assault charges after a scuffle with Assistant State’s Attorney Mike McCormick. Hams claimed self-defense but prosecutors insisted that the prosecutor was the victim. The jury in Skokie clearly did not agree and yesterday acquitted Hams. McCormick is suing Hams civilly for his injuries.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Family Calls Police To Report Drugs Left In Rental Property In Georgia . . . Police Arrest Parents and Threaten To Send Crying Child To Child Welfare

Michael Keeley and his wife are legitimately confused. Police in Georgia arrested three men in their rental property in October after finding meth inside their car. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security and Clayton police then searched the rental property for additional drugs and evidence. According to the Keeley’s, they did not look hard enough. When Keeley and his wife and 9-year-old child went to the home that day to clean it for the next tenant, they found eight bags of narcotics hidden behind the walls. They called police which came right over . . . and arrested the couple in front of their nine-year-old child. They say it was the local Clayton police who were abusive — grabbing their phone and yelling at them. They told Keeley to stop lying and that they knew no one broke into the home. It is not clear why Keeley would call to report his own drugs. Continue reading “Family Calls Police To Report Drugs Left In Rental Property In Georgia . . . Police Arrest Parents and Threaten To Send Crying Child To Child Welfare” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Marine Veteran in Pink Tutu Knocks Out Disabled Vet In Wheelchair Over Costume Dispute

We are just hearing about torts and crimes rolling in from Halloween (to be added to our 2013 listing of Spooky Torts). None are quite as bizarre as the arrest of Christopher Dabney, 22, a Marine veteran who took offense at the costume of Daniel Priotti in a wheelchair. It appears that Priotti was dressed as a veteran in a wheelchair. It turns out that Priotti is a disabled Marine veteran confined to a wheelchair. At the time of the attack, Dabney was wearing a pink tutu.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

FBI: Arizona Attorney General Hit Car But Left Scene To Hide Affair With Employee

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has attracted national headlines recently with his spirited appearance in litigation defending the “sanctity of marriage” by blocking basic benefits for same-sex couples. That defense however may be more theoretical for the top state lawyer. Horne was reportedly being followed by the FBI investigating alleged campaign finance violations. The agents say that they watched as Horne struck another car causing $1000 damage to avoid disclosure of an affair with his passenger. The passenger has been identified in news accounts as Carmen Chenal, who works for Horne.

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Bizarre, International

Sweden Paying For Young People To Go To Norway To Find Work

Sweden has come up with a novel way of dealing with unemployment. It is paying people between the ages of 18 and 28 to go to Norway to find a job. This “Job Journey” is being offered young people in Soderhamn, who can receive a ticket to Oslo and a month’s rent at a youth’s hostel (for £20 a night).

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

Spooky Torts: The 2012 List Of Halloween Litigation Horrors

Here is our annual list of Halloween torts and crimes. This holiday remains a favorite for personal injury lawyers around the world and this year’s additions show why. Of course, with Sandy, our area is already looking pretty spooky with downed trees and tattered exteriors.

So, with no further ado, here is this year’s annual Spooky Torts list of actual cases from Halloween (with our past winners).

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