Category: Criminal law

Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Uncategorized

Sheriff Joe’s Office Lies Again

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)- Guest Blogger

If you ever wondered why the Justice Department is investigating the office of Maricopa, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, this latest story may be all you need to read.  Recently, the Maricopa Sheriff’s office arrested and detained Briseira Torres and alleged that she was an illegal alien.  Why is this one arrest such an important story?  The short answer is that Sheriff Joe’s office and possibly the Prosecuting attorney ignored the most credible exculpatory evidence that was already in their possession.  Briseira’s long form Birth Certificate, attested to by the State of Arizona as accurate, was left out of the record provided to the Grand Jury!  Continue reading “Sheriff Joe’s Office Lies Again” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Let It Slide?
Chad William Forber

by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger

“There’s a party in my mind…And it never stops
There’s a party up there all the time…They’ll party till they drop
Other people can go home…Other people they can split
I’ll be here all the time…I can never quit.”

– “Memories Can’t Wait” by Talking Heads, written by David Byrne and Jerry Harrison

As previously discussed here at Res Ispa Loquitur, some fashion choices can be downright criminal. This time our contestant on Felony Runaway Fashions is Chad William Forber, 41, from Blue Grass, Illinois. Like our previous encounter with those who have a daring fashion sense, there is no probative legal analysis of this case and no pressing civil rights issue. Just good clean fun(ny facts).  Also some not so funny (alleged) drug use. This time our designer’s drug of choice was methamphetamines. There is nothing funny about meth. Nothing at all.

Continue reading “Let It Slide?” →

Bizarre, Criminal law

Killer Smoke: Discarded Cigarette Results In Murder Charge For Texas Man

Thomas Atkinson, 35, ignored all of those ads about the risks of smoking for years and he is now facing the potential of life in prison or death in Texas. Now it is not those FDA bureaucrats gone wild, but criminal prosecutors who say that DNA tests on a discarded cigarette butt tied Athinson to a murder.

Continue reading “Killer Smoke: Discarded Cigarette Results In Murder Charge For Texas Man” →

Bizarre, Criminal law

Florida Police Sued For Allegedly Pulling Over Mother For Rolling Through Stop Sign and Then Strip Searching Her In Front of Children and Passerbys

There is a shocking lawsuit filed against the Citrus County Sheriff’s Department in Florida in which Leila Tarantino claims that she was pulled over for going through a stop sign and then stripped searched by the side of the road in front of her children.

Continue reading “Florida Police Sued For Allegedly Pulling Over Mother For Rolling Through Stop Sign and Then Strip Searching Her In Front of Children and Passerbys” →

Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering

Veteran Connecticut Prosecutor Fired After Allegedly Using Spy Pen To Photograph Women In Court and Videotaping Women From His Car

On paper, David Holzbach, 52, would appear to have reached an ideal position in life. The married prosecutor with 24-years experience had a secure $129,000 a year job with the Danbury State’s Attorney’s office. However, this year he was fired after an investigation in bizarre conduct photographing women in office and outside his office, including surreptitious photos in courtrooms using a spy pen.

Continue reading “Veteran Connecticut Prosecutor Fired After Allegedly Using Spy Pen To Photograph Women In Court and Videotaping Women From His Car” →

Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Genocidal Sudanese Warlord To Join U.N. Human Rights Council

Since 2008, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo has been seeking the arrest of Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir for his alleged involvement in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since 2003 in Darfur. He might want to pop in on the United Nations Human Rights Council — Al-Bashir is about to be one of its members.

Continue reading “Genocidal Sudanese Warlord To Join U.N. Human Rights Council” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Society

Mein Chianti? American Lawyer Triggers Controversy Over Sale Of Hitler Wine In Italy

It appears the fight over Lebensraum is now being waged over liquor store shelf space. An American couple has triggered a free speech controversy in Italy after complaining about the sale of wine with the image of Hitler on the label or other labels for “Mein Kampf” wine or wine with the motto “Ein volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer” (one people, one empire, one Fuhrer). Michael Hirsch, a lawyer from Philadelphia, complained about the sale of such items. In Italy, prosecutors are looking into the matter for possible criminal charges. The question is whether the producer should have a right to supply such bottles and customers should have the right to buy such bottles.

Continue reading “Mein Chianti? American Lawyer Triggers Controversy Over Sale Of Hitler Wine In Italy” →

Bizarre, Criminal law

New Jersey Man Arrested For Dressing As Superhero At Home Depot

There is an interesting case out of Mansfield Township, New Jersey where Matthew Argintar was arrested for dressing as a superhero and going to the Home Depot. Agintar, 23, was wearing a small mask, elbow and arm pads, bulletproof vest, and a cape when he appeared at the store. The charges caught my eye: disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of handcuffs.

Continue reading “New Jersey Man Arrested For Dressing As Superhero At Home Depot” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Deaf Woman Calls Police Who Tell Her To Come Outside And Then Taser Her and Jail Her For Not Responding To Commands

Lashonn White is a deaf woman in Tacoma, Washington who recently used a special typing machine to call police to tell them that she was being attacked. Within six minutes police were in front of her door. White was then told to come outside by police and then tasered and thrown to the ground. She was jailed for three days because the police could not find an interpreter. I am not sure why the police did not have a simple special video-equipped phone (like the one in White’s home) or why the basic facts could not be established through writing.

Continue reading “Deaf Woman Calls Police Who Tell Her To Come Outside And Then Taser Her and Jail Her For Not Responding To Commands” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Military, Religion

Major Hasan Sanctioned For Failing To Shave For Court In Fort Hood Case

Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, is facing trial for 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 attack at Fort Hood. Before that trial can occur, however, Hasan is facing a sanction that understandably fails to concentrate his mind as much as the looming death sentence: a second $1000 fine for failing to shave for court. While the military requires personnel to be shaven, Hasan is citing his Islamic faith as requiring him to appear in a beard. He has now been held in contempt of court twice for failing to shave by the judge, Col. Gregory Gross.

Continue reading “Major Hasan Sanctioned For Failing To Shave For Court In Fort Hood Case” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Tunisia Arrests Leading Critic For Drinking In Public During Ramadan

Tunisian blogger and political reformer Sofiane Shurabi has been arrested by the government for drinking in public during Ramadan. We recently saw how Saudi Arabia issued warnings to non-Muslims that they were expected to respect the food and drink limitations of Ramadan in public. This arrest comes with added suspicion of a political agenda since Shurabi was a scathing critic of deposed president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and an opponent to the rising control of Islamic parties over the country.
Continue reading “Tunisia Arrests Leading Critic For Drinking In Public During Ramadan” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Craig Defends Use Of Campaign Funds For Criminal Defense After Bathroom Arrest

Former Senator Larry Craig is back in the news. The former Idaho Senator was once a critic of those who wanted to live off the government or bureaucrats seeking more money from federal coffers. However, his lawyers are in court this week defending his use of $217,000 in campaign funds to pay for criminal defense after he was arrested in a Minneapolis airport bathroom soliciting sex. He insisted that he was still doing on public business at the time. Of course, the police alleged it was public business of a different kind, but Craig says that such travel was part of Senate business because he was traveling between Washington and Idaho on July 11, 2007.

Continue reading “Craig Defends Use Of Campaign Funds For Criminal Defense After Bathroom Arrest” →