A Buford, Ga., man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and must pay $191,395 in restitution for rolling back odometers on used cars and trucks to make the vehicles more valuable.
Ronald Dale Cole, 55, pleaded guilty on May 30, in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, to two counts of odometer tampering.
Cole bought high-mileage cars, sport-utility vehicles and trucks, at wholesale auto auctions in Georgia and South Carolina, rolled back the odometers by an average of 97,742 miles and resold the vehicles at auto auctions. Cole sold 56 vehicles with altered odometers with an average loss per victim of $3,418. Most of the vehicles Cole sold were more than 10 years old.
The $191,395 in restitution is the amount the court found Cole had defrauded victims through his odometer fraud scheme.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Estate Financial principals in jail, bail $5M each
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 10/17/2008 06:32:33 AM PDT
PASO ROBLES, Calif.—Executives of the troubled Paso Robles lender Estate Financial have been arrested on 26 felony violations of the California Corporations Code.
Prosecutors say Karen Guth and Joshua Yaguda misrepresented investments in real estate backed securities, embezzling $500,000 and illegally taking more than $3.2 million.
San Luis Obispo County prosecutors, state investigators and FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents raided the rural Paso Robles property of Guth and Yaguda on Thursday and arrested the pair. Bail is set at $5 million each.
If convicted, they face more than 15 years in prison and $11 million in fines.
In May, the Department of Corporations revoked Estate Financial's permit to collect money from investors.
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Information from: The Tribune, http://www.sanluisobispo.com
Article Launched: 10/17/2008 06:32:33 AM PDT
PASO ROBLES, Calif.—Executives of the troubled Paso Robles lender Estate Financial have been arrested on 26 felony violations of the California Corporations Code.
Prosecutors say Karen Guth and Joshua Yaguda misrepresented investments in real estate backed securities, embezzling $500,000 and illegally taking more than $3.2 million.
San Luis Obispo County prosecutors, state investigators and FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents raided the rural Paso Robles property of Guth and Yaguda on Thursday and arrested the pair. Bail is set at $5 million each.
If convicted, they face more than 15 years in prison and $11 million in fines.
In May, the Department of Corporations revoked Estate Financial's permit to collect money from investors.
———
Information from: The Tribune, http://www.sanluisobispo.com
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Georgia woman with 5 dead spouses leaves jail
(AP) — A grandmother charged in the death of one of her five dead husbands has been released from a North Carolina jail.
Authorities said 76-year-old Betty Neumar posted bond Thursday at the Stanly County jail. She was being held on a $300,000 bond.
Neumar is charged in the 1986 death of her fourth husband, Harold Gentry. Authorities have said she tried to hire three people to kill Gentry in the weeks before his bullet-riddled body was found in his rural North Carolina home. She was arrested in May.
Authorities in Florida and Ohio are investigating Neumar in the deaths of her third husband and her only son, and investigators also are re-examining the death of her first husband. She hasn't been charged in any of those cases.
Authorities said 76-year-old Betty Neumar posted bond Thursday at the Stanly County jail. She was being held on a $300,000 bond.
Neumar is charged in the 1986 death of her fourth husband, Harold Gentry. Authorities have said she tried to hire three people to kill Gentry in the weeks before his bullet-riddled body was found in his rural North Carolina home. She was arrested in May.
Authorities in Florida and Ohio are investigating Neumar in the deaths of her third husband and her only son, and investigators also are re-examining the death of her first husband. She hasn't been charged in any of those cases.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
County police officer pleads guilty to DUI
A Montgomery County Police officer who crashed his take-home cruiser on Interstate 270 in May has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.
In an Oct. 3 plea agreement, the state dropped two lesser drunk-driving charges and District Court Judge Stephen P. Johnson gave Officer John Distel, a first-time offender, the disposition of "probation before judgment" — meaning the guilty plea will never appear on his permanent driving record if he meets all probation criteria for one year.
Probation before judgment, or PBJ, is often viewed as a best-case scenario by defense attorneys, observers said. Distel now faces an internal affairs investigation by Montgomery County Police.
"John Distel is a decorated officer and he looks forward to continuing his work for the county as a police officer," his private attorney Michael A. Taylor said Monday.
Distel, 32, a six-year county police veteran and patrol officer with the 2nd District station in Bethesda, crashed into two highway barriers about 1:25 a.m. on May 9 while driving south on Interstate 270 near the Montgomery Village overpass in Gaithersburg, according to county police. He sustained minor injuries in the crash, but was not taken to the hospital, police said. No one else was injured and he was the "sole witness" to the crash, Lt. Paul Starks, county police spokesman said in May.
County police conducted the police investigation, involving alcohol and collision investigation units, after Distel claimed he was a victim of a hit-and-run collision.
Police charged Distel, who lives in Germantown and previously worked in the 6th District in Gaithersburg, with driving under the influence, driving under the influence per se, and driving while impaired, according to court records.
Johnson placed Distel on one year supervised probation, which means he must check in periodically with a parole and probation officer and is banned from drinking alcohol for one year. Distel had enrolled in and is completing alcohol treatment, Taylor said in court. Distel was fined $307.50 and his driver's license was restored.
"Brief mention" of the "hit-and-run" allegations was made in court by Assistant State's Attorney Sharon Diamant, Taylor said on Monday. Diamant did not return calls for comment.
According to a collision report, Distel told police that he was driving his 2003 Crown Ford Victoria in the highway's center lane, when a silver Toyota passing on his left first struck his cruiser's rear and then its front, forcing him to lose control of his cruiser, spin and hit both the left and right shoulders of the four-lane span. The Toyota fled the scene, he told police. Starks said Monday that Distel gave a differing account after the initial investigation began.
"Officer Distel mistakenly believed that is what happened, he had suffered head trauma from the airbags discharging in his face," said Taylor.
Diamant referenced Distel's breath test and field sobriety test results in court, Taylor said. The Rockville attorney said he had "no comment" on why Distel used a cell phone to report the crash, rather than his in-car radio.
Per protocol, county police took away Distel's take-home car privileges and placed him on 90 hours of paid administrative leave in May, Starks said. He returned on restricted duty to a desk job on May 27, minus powers of a sworn police officer. Since September, Distel has had his police powers back, but he has not returned to patrol.
Now that the court process is complete, department policy stipulates that the officer must face an internal investigation to determine any administrative violations and his fate with the department. That review is now underway, Starks said. Repercussions could range from a fine or loss of personal leave to a letter of reprimand to termination, Starks said. The most serious punishments are usually held for officers with previous sustained history.
County policy also says that employees involved in alcohol-related incidents could be steered toward a diversion program.
According to department regulations, officers are not allowed to drive their cruisers within four hours of consuming alcohol.
A lawyer for the Fraternal Order of Police Montgomery County Lodge 35, the county police union, will represent Distel in the internal investigation, Taylor said.
According to court records, Distel has no prior traffic violations in Montgomery County. Taylor told the court that Distel is an Iraq war veteran, who served in Iraq in 2004. He served fulltime with the U.S. Army from 1996 to 2001 and as an Army reserve officer from 2001 to 2004, when he was honorably discharged from active duty.
In an Oct. 3 plea agreement, the state dropped two lesser drunk-driving charges and District Court Judge Stephen P. Johnson gave Officer John Distel, a first-time offender, the disposition of "probation before judgment" — meaning the guilty plea will never appear on his permanent driving record if he meets all probation criteria for one year.
Probation before judgment, or PBJ, is often viewed as a best-case scenario by defense attorneys, observers said. Distel now faces an internal affairs investigation by Montgomery County Police.
"John Distel is a decorated officer and he looks forward to continuing his work for the county as a police officer," his private attorney Michael A. Taylor said Monday.
Distel, 32, a six-year county police veteran and patrol officer with the 2nd District station in Bethesda, crashed into two highway barriers about 1:25 a.m. on May 9 while driving south on Interstate 270 near the Montgomery Village overpass in Gaithersburg, according to county police. He sustained minor injuries in the crash, but was not taken to the hospital, police said. No one else was injured and he was the "sole witness" to the crash, Lt. Paul Starks, county police spokesman said in May.
County police conducted the police investigation, involving alcohol and collision investigation units, after Distel claimed he was a victim of a hit-and-run collision.
Police charged Distel, who lives in Germantown and previously worked in the 6th District in Gaithersburg, with driving under the influence, driving under the influence per se, and driving while impaired, according to court records.
Johnson placed Distel on one year supervised probation, which means he must check in periodically with a parole and probation officer and is banned from drinking alcohol for one year. Distel had enrolled in and is completing alcohol treatment, Taylor said in court. Distel was fined $307.50 and his driver's license was restored.
"Brief mention" of the "hit-and-run" allegations was made in court by Assistant State's Attorney Sharon Diamant, Taylor said on Monday. Diamant did not return calls for comment.
According to a collision report, Distel told police that he was driving his 2003 Crown Ford Victoria in the highway's center lane, when a silver Toyota passing on his left first struck his cruiser's rear and then its front, forcing him to lose control of his cruiser, spin and hit both the left and right shoulders of the four-lane span. The Toyota fled the scene, he told police. Starks said Monday that Distel gave a differing account after the initial investigation began.
"Officer Distel mistakenly believed that is what happened, he had suffered head trauma from the airbags discharging in his face," said Taylor.
Diamant referenced Distel's breath test and field sobriety test results in court, Taylor said. The Rockville attorney said he had "no comment" on why Distel used a cell phone to report the crash, rather than his in-car radio.
Per protocol, county police took away Distel's take-home car privileges and placed him on 90 hours of paid administrative leave in May, Starks said. He returned on restricted duty to a desk job on May 27, minus powers of a sworn police officer. Since September, Distel has had his police powers back, but he has not returned to patrol.
Now that the court process is complete, department policy stipulates that the officer must face an internal investigation to determine any administrative violations and his fate with the department. That review is now underway, Starks said. Repercussions could range from a fine or loss of personal leave to a letter of reprimand to termination, Starks said. The most serious punishments are usually held for officers with previous sustained history.
County policy also says that employees involved in alcohol-related incidents could be steered toward a diversion program.
According to department regulations, officers are not allowed to drive their cruisers within four hours of consuming alcohol.
A lawyer for the Fraternal Order of Police Montgomery County Lodge 35, the county police union, will represent Distel in the internal investigation, Taylor said.
According to court records, Distel has no prior traffic violations in Montgomery County. Taylor told the court that Distel is an Iraq war veteran, who served in Iraq in 2004. He served fulltime with the U.S. Army from 1996 to 2001 and as an Army reserve officer from 2001 to 2004, when he was honorably discharged from active duty.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Salty's sued over DUI death
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The wife of a man killed by a drunk driver last year filed suit Monday against the bar he was working for the night of the crash.
On the one-year anniversary of Clint Malone's death, his wife, Jennifer Malone, filed a lawsuit against Salty's Bar and Grill, 10908 Front Beach Road, and the establishment's managers, Kellen, Robert, Robert Jr. and Kellye Potter.
According to the complaint, Jeremy Matthew Hunt was working as a bar back, an assistant to the bartender, the night of Oct. 12 and into the morning of Oct. 13, 2007. Hunt left the bar drunk, according to the lawsuit, and his vehicle hit Clint Malone, 36, as he was riding a bicycle on Thomas Drive alongside Jennifer Malone, who was training for the New York City Marathon.
Hunt, 21, pleaded on contest in July to DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident with death. He received 10 years in prison followed by 20 years on probation.
Malone's lawyer, David Carter of Vero Beach, wrote in the complaint that the management of Salty's "had a policy or procedure whereby employees, including underage employees, were permitted to consume alcohol on Salty's premises."
A telephone number for the business was disconnected and phone numbers for the Potters could not be immediately located.
Carter wrote that Salty's knew Hunt was drinking on the job and he did so in the presence of management.
"Defendants had actual or constructive knowledge of multiple incidents in which Jeremy Hunt became intoxicated from alcohol provided by defendants on Salty's premises, then drove a vehicle in an intoxicated condition," Carter wrote. On the morning of the crash, he said, Hunt "consumed alcohol with defendants' consent and encouragement."
Carter said Salty's management also was negligent because it "failed to adequately and reasonably train and supervise Jeremy Hunt in the performance of his duties, including but not limit to Jeremy Hunt's participation in Salty's providing of alcohol and encouraging employees to consume alcohol."
Carter sued for Jennifer Malone's mental pain and suffering, as well as the suffering of her two children, and the loss of Clint Malone's companionship and support. The suit also asks for compensation for medical and funeral expenses and loss of earnings.
On the one-year anniversary of Clint Malone's death, his wife, Jennifer Malone, filed a lawsuit against Salty's Bar and Grill, 10908 Front Beach Road, and the establishment's managers, Kellen, Robert, Robert Jr. and Kellye Potter.
According to the complaint, Jeremy Matthew Hunt was working as a bar back, an assistant to the bartender, the night of Oct. 12 and into the morning of Oct. 13, 2007. Hunt left the bar drunk, according to the lawsuit, and his vehicle hit Clint Malone, 36, as he was riding a bicycle on Thomas Drive alongside Jennifer Malone, who was training for the New York City Marathon.
Hunt, 21, pleaded on contest in July to DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident with death. He received 10 years in prison followed by 20 years on probation.
Malone's lawyer, David Carter of Vero Beach, wrote in the complaint that the management of Salty's "had a policy or procedure whereby employees, including underage employees, were permitted to consume alcohol on Salty's premises."
A telephone number for the business was disconnected and phone numbers for the Potters could not be immediately located.
Carter wrote that Salty's knew Hunt was drinking on the job and he did so in the presence of management.
"Defendants had actual or constructive knowledge of multiple incidents in which Jeremy Hunt became intoxicated from alcohol provided by defendants on Salty's premises, then drove a vehicle in an intoxicated condition," Carter wrote. On the morning of the crash, he said, Hunt "consumed alcohol with defendants' consent and encouragement."
Carter said Salty's management also was negligent because it "failed to adequately and reasonably train and supervise Jeremy Hunt in the performance of his duties, including but not limit to Jeremy Hunt's participation in Salty's providing of alcohol and encouraging employees to consume alcohol."
Carter sued for Jennifer Malone's mental pain and suffering, as well as the suffering of her two children, and the loss of Clint Malone's companionship and support. The suit also asks for compensation for medical and funeral expenses and loss of earnings.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Man Convicted In DUI Records-Altering Case
Man Arranged Payments, Jury Says
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A man was convicted Friday in connection with his role in a DUI records-altering scheme, the district attorney's office said.
Hector Whitley was convicted on 10 felony counts involving conspiracy, secreting and destroying court records, and making fraudulent computer entries in seven DUI cases, Deputy District Attorney Don Steed said.
"The jury has made a clear statement that the obstruction of justice will not be tolerated by the criminal justice system or the community," Steed said.
Former Sacramento Superior Court clerk Fernando Catlin, the co-defendant, was assigned to enter data relating to active DUI cases.
Whitley was identified as the person who offered to arrange for the dismissals through Catlin in return for money, the office said.
Investigators linked seven false case dismissals to court orders and computer entries made by Catlin.
Catlin was sentenced in August to five years in state prison.
Whitley faces up to eight years in state prison, Steed said.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A man was convicted Friday in connection with his role in a DUI records-altering scheme, the district attorney's office said.
Hector Whitley was convicted on 10 felony counts involving conspiracy, secreting and destroying court records, and making fraudulent computer entries in seven DUI cases, Deputy District Attorney Don Steed said.
"The jury has made a clear statement that the obstruction of justice will not be tolerated by the criminal justice system or the community," Steed said.
Former Sacramento Superior Court clerk Fernando Catlin, the co-defendant, was assigned to enter data relating to active DUI cases.
Whitley was identified as the person who offered to arrange for the dismissals through Catlin in return for money, the office said.
Investigators linked seven false case dismissals to court orders and computer entries made by Catlin.
Catlin was sentenced in August to five years in state prison.
Whitley faces up to eight years in state prison, Steed said.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
AG's decision means Chicago officer to go free
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller decided today not to seek a review of a state appeals court ruling overturning the assault conviction of a Chicago police officer.
The officer, Michael Mette, could be quickly released from the Rockwell City state prison, perhaps within a day or two, state officials said.
The Iowa Court of Appeals threw our Mette’s conviction last week and ordered a Dubuque County District Court to acquit the officer.
Miller had 20 days to ask the Iowa Supreme Court to review the ruling, but he acted Tuesday by announcing that while he disagreed with the Court of Appeals analysis, he accepted the outcome.
“This case hinges on the factual findings set out in the District Court ruling and does not present the kind of clear legal issue which would be necessary for a successful application for further review to the Iowa Supreme Court,” according to a statement issued late this afternoon by Miller’s office.
Mette, 31, has been serving a five-year prison sentence that stemmed from an incident while he visited Dubuque on Oct. 9, 2005, to celebrate his brother’s 25th birthday. He went to a party at the home of Jake Gothard and quickly decided to leave, but Gothard became angry. Gothard and another man, Nicholas Boyd, followed Mette and his friends, yelling and threatening them with physical violence.
After some threats, pushing and shoving, Mette punched Gothard, breaking the man’s nose, cheek and jaw and knocking him unconscious, the court said. Gothard's blood-alcohol content was .27, more than triple the level at which an Iowa motorist is considered intoxicated, court records show.
When police officers arrived at the scene and questioned Mette and his brother, they both claimed Gothard had been drunk and fell down, according to court testimony.
An officer then noticed blood on Mette's hand and shirt and questioned him further. Mette then admitted punching Gothard, the court said. Mette claimed self-defense, but was convicted by Dubuque County Judge Monica Ackley. She ruled Mette had an obligation tor retreat from the situation.
Mette’s case gained widespread attention in Illinois, where the conviction was viewed as outrageous. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wrote to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, seeking a pardon for Mette. So did Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller decided today not to seek a review of a state appeals court ruling overturning the assault conviction of a Chicago police officer.
The officer, Michael Mette, could be quickly released from the Rockwell City state prison, perhaps within a day or two, state officials said.
The Iowa Court of Appeals threw our Mette’s conviction last week and ordered a Dubuque County District Court to acquit the officer.
Miller had 20 days to ask the Iowa Supreme Court to review the ruling, but he acted Tuesday by announcing that while he disagreed with the Court of Appeals analysis, he accepted the outcome.
“This case hinges on the factual findings set out in the District Court ruling and does not present the kind of clear legal issue which would be necessary for a successful application for further review to the Iowa Supreme Court,” according to a statement issued late this afternoon by Miller’s office.
Mette, 31, has been serving a five-year prison sentence that stemmed from an incident while he visited Dubuque on Oct. 9, 2005, to celebrate his brother’s 25th birthday. He went to a party at the home of Jake Gothard and quickly decided to leave, but Gothard became angry. Gothard and another man, Nicholas Boyd, followed Mette and his friends, yelling and threatening them with physical violence.
After some threats, pushing and shoving, Mette punched Gothard, breaking the man’s nose, cheek and jaw and knocking him unconscious, the court said. Gothard's blood-alcohol content was .27, more than triple the level at which an Iowa motorist is considered intoxicated, court records show.
When police officers arrived at the scene and questioned Mette and his brother, they both claimed Gothard had been drunk and fell down, according to court testimony.
An officer then noticed blood on Mette's hand and shirt and questioned him further. Mette then admitted punching Gothard, the court said. Mette claimed self-defense, but was convicted by Dubuque County Judge Monica Ackley. She ruled Mette had an obligation tor retreat from the situation.
Mette’s case gained widespread attention in Illinois, where the conviction was viewed as outrageous. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wrote to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, seeking a pardon for Mette. So did Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Two blondes
Two blondes decided to rob a bank together. The first blonde, Judy plans the robbery and goes over the plan with the second blonde, Buffy, in great detail. The robbery begins...
Judy drives up in front of the bank, stops the car and says to Buffy, "I want to make absolutely sure you understand the plan. You are supposed to be in and out of the bank in no more than three minutes with the cash. Do you understand the plan?" "Perfectly," said Buffy. Buffy goes in the bank while Judy waits in the getaway car. One minute passes... Two minutes pass... Seven minutes pass... and Judy is really stressing out. Finally, the bank doors burst open! And here comes Buffy. She's got a safe wrapped up in rope and is dragging it to the car. About the time she gets the safe in the trunk of the car, the bank doors burst open again with the security guard coming out. The guard's pants and underwear are down around his ankles while he is firing his weapon. As the gals are getting away, Judy says "You are such a blonde! I thought you understood the plan!" Buffy said, "I did... I did exactly what you said!" "No, you idiot," said Judy. "You got it all mixed up. I said tie up the GUARD and blow the SAFE!"
Cheap And Simple Ways To Ward Off Burglars
The following are a few simple ways to keep burglars out of the house by putting a few signs in well-placed locations.
Dear Mr. Butcher, starting tomorrow, please leave eight pounds of meat for Brutus. Six pounds only makes him angry and vicious!
Dear Mr. Mailman, we found bloodstains all over our mail. They must be yours. The next time you put mail into our slot, please be sure to keep all parts of your body well clear of all openings. P.S. - Any sign of that book we sent for, "The Care and Feeding of Wild Jungle Cats"?
Selma, don't come in! The boa constrictor got loose again...
Dear Mr. Exterminator, be very careful when you go inside! The termites have eaten through most of the floorboards and you will fall into the basement where all of the rats are!
To whom it may concern: Some of the items in this house have been engraved with Federal Identification Numbers. Others have merely been wired to explode when touched. Good luck...
Judy drives up in front of the bank, stops the car and says to Buffy, "I want to make absolutely sure you understand the plan. You are supposed to be in and out of the bank in no more than three minutes with the cash. Do you understand the plan?" "Perfectly," said Buffy. Buffy goes in the bank while Judy waits in the getaway car. One minute passes... Two minutes pass... Seven minutes pass... and Judy is really stressing out. Finally, the bank doors burst open! And here comes Buffy. She's got a safe wrapped up in rope and is dragging it to the car. About the time she gets the safe in the trunk of the car, the bank doors burst open again with the security guard coming out. The guard's pants and underwear are down around his ankles while he is firing his weapon. As the gals are getting away, Judy says "You are such a blonde! I thought you understood the plan!" Buffy said, "I did... I did exactly what you said!" "No, you idiot," said Judy. "You got it all mixed up. I said tie up the GUARD and blow the SAFE!"
Cheap And Simple Ways To Ward Off Burglars
The following are a few simple ways to keep burglars out of the house by putting a few signs in well-placed locations.
Dear Mr. Butcher, starting tomorrow, please leave eight pounds of meat for Brutus. Six pounds only makes him angry and vicious!
Dear Mr. Mailman, we found bloodstains all over our mail. They must be yours. The next time you put mail into our slot, please be sure to keep all parts of your body well clear of all openings. P.S. - Any sign of that book we sent for, "The Care and Feeding of Wild Jungle Cats"?
Selma, don't come in! The boa constrictor got loose again...
Dear Mr. Exterminator, be very careful when you go inside! The termites have eaten through most of the floorboards and you will fall into the basement where all of the rats are!
To whom it may concern: Some of the items in this house have been engraved with Federal Identification Numbers. Others have merely been wired to explode when touched. Good luck...
Celebrity Mug Shots
Celebrity Mug Shots
Like anyone else charged with a crime, celebrities must be photographed by police after being arrested, and those images then become a matter of public record.
When he was 19, rapper 50 Cent pleaded guilty to selling controlled substances (heroin and crack cocaine). Later, in July 2005, he received two years of probation for three counts of assault and battery stemming from an incident a year prior when the singer jumped into the audience after being hit by a water bottle.
Brad Renfro the tough-but-adorable Jack Swade in The Client, was on the other side of the law in August 2000 after he and a pal tried to steal a yacht docked in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida marina. The then-teenager was charged with grand theft and sentenced to two years' probation for the crime. He was also ordered to pay hefty damages to the yacht's owner.
Like anyone else charged with a crime, celebrities must be photographed by police after being arrested, and those images then become a matter of public record.
When he was 19, rapper 50 Cent pleaded guilty to selling controlled substances (heroin and crack cocaine). Later, in July 2005, he received two years of probation for three counts of assault and battery stemming from an incident a year prior when the singer jumped into the audience after being hit by a water bottle.
Brad Renfro the tough-but-adorable Jack Swade in The Client, was on the other side of the law in August 2000 after he and a pal tried to steal a yacht docked in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida marina. The then-teenager was charged with grand theft and sentenced to two years' probation for the crime. He was also ordered to pay hefty damages to the yacht's owner.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
O.J SIMPSON GUILTY! OFF TO JAIL MAYBE FOR LIFE!
OJ Simpson was found guilty of robbery -13 years to the day of his acquittal on charges of killing his wife.
The 61 year old Simpson was convicted of all 12 counts late Friday night. The jury was in deliberations for more than 13 hours.
Simpson groaned as the decision was read and he was immediately remaindered into police custody.
Simpson, the former football great and actor, could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Simpson was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges after commandeering a group of five men and storming a Vegas hotel room and seizing sports memorabilia..
Four of the other men originally charged with Simpson had plea bargained their way out - by turning state’s evidence against Simpson and co-defendant C.J. Stewart.
Many considered the verdict justice delayed 13 years after Simpson’s double murder acquittal
Friday, October 3, 2008
Fake Bounty Hunters Captured
Fake Bounty Hunters Captured
Four wannabe bounty hunters were charged Wednesday with impersonating public servants after they failed to collar a fugitive but succeeded in infuriating their neighbors and terrifying the elderly.
The self-styled bounty hunters told police they worked for a fugitive recovery agency called Wargod Inc.
On Friday, according to police, five members of Wargod searched for what one of them said later was a fugitive wanted for armed robbery. They wore black military fatigues, assault vests with empty holsters, and badges as they walked the streets of Stroudsburg that night, prompting emergency calls from concerned citizens.
At first, they were seen standing in front of a bar on Main Street in Stroudsburg, flashing cans of mace and handcuffs.
Then at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, the manager of West Gate apartments — a home for the elderly — dialed 911. The same five people were running up and down the halls trying to get inside one of West Gate's apartments, police said.
Meanwhile, state police — unaware of what was happening West Gate — arrived at Wargod's home base, a house occupied by Kelly Hefferon, 40, on Route 715 in Jackson Township. They were responding to the latest in a series of bitter complaints from neighbors about shots fired in the back yard and sirens sounding until after midnight.
Neighbors also told a reporter that they occasionally had seen the Wargod staffers armed, clad in black and marching in formation up and down Jackson View Road.
State police found Hefferon's two children and a friend there Friday night. One of them, a 16-year-old boy, was wearing a badge and an empty nylon holster. He and his friend said they also were fugitive recovery agents.
Just then, the five Wargod staffers, returning from their hunt at the home for the elderly, pulled into the driveway in a silver Ford Expedition, with a pistol-grip shotgun in the front seat, slugs rattling in the drink holder, and a red light on the dash.
Four wannabe bounty hunters were charged Wednesday with impersonating public servants after they failed to collar a fugitive but succeeded in infuriating their neighbors and terrifying the elderly.
The self-styled bounty hunters told police they worked for a fugitive recovery agency called Wargod Inc.
On Friday, according to police, five members of Wargod searched for what one of them said later was a fugitive wanted for armed robbery. They wore black military fatigues, assault vests with empty holsters, and badges as they walked the streets of Stroudsburg that night, prompting emergency calls from concerned citizens.
At first, they were seen standing in front of a bar on Main Street in Stroudsburg, flashing cans of mace and handcuffs.
Then at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, the manager of West Gate apartments — a home for the elderly — dialed 911. The same five people were running up and down the halls trying to get inside one of West Gate's apartments, police said.
Meanwhile, state police — unaware of what was happening West Gate — arrived at Wargod's home base, a house occupied by Kelly Hefferon, 40, on Route 715 in Jackson Township. They were responding to the latest in a series of bitter complaints from neighbors about shots fired in the back yard and sirens sounding until after midnight.
Neighbors also told a reporter that they occasionally had seen the Wargod staffers armed, clad in black and marching in formation up and down Jackson View Road.
State police found Hefferon's two children and a friend there Friday night. One of them, a 16-year-old boy, was wearing a badge and an empty nylon holster. He and his friend said they also were fugitive recovery agents.
Just then, the five Wargod staffers, returning from their hunt at the home for the elderly, pulled into the driveway in a silver Ford Expedition, with a pistol-grip shotgun in the front seat, slugs rattling in the drink holder, and a red light on the dash.
Jail Humor
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Why couldn't the Inmate call his friend? - He didn't have a cell phone.
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A midget clairvoyant has escaped from the county jail. - APB reads: small medium at large.
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A poll was taken in a sex offender block at a jail. The Inmates were asked what college team they liked best. BYU was the hands down favorite.
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Prison v Work:
IN PRISON ... you spend the majority of your time in an 8X10 cell.
AT WORK ... you spend the majority of your time in a 6X8 cubicle.
IN PRISON ... you get three meals a day.
AT WORK ... you only get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.
IN PRISON ... you get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK ... you get rewarded for good behavior with more work.
IN PRISON ... the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK ... you must carry around a security card and open all the doors for
Yourself.
IN PRISON ... you can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK ... you get fired for watching TV and playing games.
IN PRISON ... you get your own toilet.
AT WORK ... you have to share with some idiot who pees on the seat.
IN PRISON...they allow your family and friends to visit;
AT WORK ... you can't even speak to your family.
IN PRISON ... all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
AT WORK ... you get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.
IN PRISON ... you spend most of your life looking through bars from inside wanting to get out.
AT WORK ... you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.
IN PRISON ... you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK ... they are called your Boss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A man escapes from a prison where he has been kept for 15 years. He breaks into a house to look for money and guns and finds a young couple in bed. He orders the guy out of bed and ties him to a chair. While tying the wife to the bed he gets on top of her, kisses her on the neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom.
While he's in there, the husband tells his wife: "Listen, this guy is an escaped prisoner, look at his clothes! He probably spent lots of time in jail, and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain, do what he tells you, just give him satisfaction, no matter how much he ravages you. This guy is probably damned dangerous. If he gets angry, he'll kill us! Be strong, honey. I love you" To which the wife responds, "He wasn't kissing my neck". He was whispering in my ear. He told me he was gay, thought you were cute, and asked if we kept any Vaseline in the bathroom. I told him where to find it. Be strong, honey. I love you, too."
-------------------------------------------------
A man who had been caught embezzling millions from his employer went to a lawyer seeking defense. He didn?t want to go to jail. But his lawyer told him, "Don't worry. You'll never have to go to jail with all that money.? And the lawyer was right. When the man was sent to prison, he didn't have a dime.
---------------------------------------------
Jail Credits?
An attorney friend recently became involved in a case in which a criminal defendant had, with the assistance of his defense counsel, worked out a plea agreement with the prosecution in which he would plead guilty to an indictment in exchange for the prosecution and the court's sentencing him to five years of imprisonment.
The problem with this plea agreement was that the indicted charge by statute had a maximum penalty of two years. This problem was not discovered by a jail house lawyer until the defendant was four and a half years into his sentence, at which point the court vacated the sentence and adopted a “Visa Rewards” state of mind and re-sentenced the defendant to: "one year committed to the House of Correction. Defendant deemed to have 1,680 jail credit days."
Jail credit days? Is that like a get-out-of-jail free card? Does he have 1,680 days that he can apply to any future convictions?
Luckily for the defendant, he has a nephew who is Internet savvy and gave him the best advice of any that has been given to him in the past five years: “Try to sell your 1,680 jail credit days on eBay.
---------------------------------------------
The Beginner's Guide to Jail
1. Bring a positive attitude! Sure, jail seems like the worst thing that could happen to you, but it could be worse. Remember the time your girl/boyfriend caught you cheating? That was pretty bad, right? Jail is a lot more civilized. Nobody's going to yell at you, slap you, or threaten to withhold sex (believe me on the last one). Rest assured you'll eventually get the right to a fair trial, not an arbitrary condemnation and a big "fuck you, we're through." The justice system still has faith in you! Just try not to rest assured overnight...all prisoners are treated equally until your trial (this isn't the kind of equal treatment you want).
2. Forget about anything you brought besides a positive attitude. The police officers will confiscate everything on your person, except for your clothes, the moment you enter the jail. Ever felt naked without your cell phone? Prepare to get violated in jail. Read on.
3. You aren't limited to one phone call. That being said, the jail always gets the last laugh. Shit, I must have used the jail phone about 125 times...with a success rate of 0.05%. You see, collect calls don't work on cell phones, and collect calls made to local numbers require the receiving party to setup a credit card account with GlobalTel for $30 in order to receive your call. First, don't expect to recall even a fifth of your friends' cell phone numbers from memory, let alone their home phone numbers. Second, don't expect your parents to shell out $30 to receive a collect call from you—it's just not logical. Your only option? The classic collect-call trick: when the operator asks for your name, you have approximately 4.5 seconds to get your entire message across to the receiving party. Rehearse your sentence before calling. When you've cut out enough extraneous verbs and articles to sound like Microsoft tech support, you're know you're ready. I would suggest including three key phrases: "Your name," "in jail," "get me out."
4. When you get your mugshot taken, visualize Nick Nolte's DUI mug. Trust me, you'll laugh about it later. And if you ever do anything famous, you'll end up on thesmokinggun.com too.
5. Bail bond companies don't accept collect phone calls from the jail. Just how illogical is this? (NOTE: IOWA BAIL BONDS DOES ACCEPT COLLECT CALLS FROM JAIL!) Dumbfoundingly illogical. Put it this way: Imagine how much money you could make as a telemarketer by selling services at a 50% premium to clients over the phone. Now imagine you had to wait for these clients to call YOU. Now imagine blocking all of these clients from ever initiating contact in the first place. Congratulations, you now have the business model of a bail bond company. Don't expect to go public anytime soon. And just to torture you, the jail offers a list of over 25 bail bond companies phone numbers above the jail phone. Oh yes, you can dial them all you want, but that's what we like to call an "exercise in futility." Read on.
6. Do not over-exercise in jail. If you need to do a few standard push-ups or sit-ups to blow off some steam, fine. But do not be the Tae Bo idiot training for the next Billy Blanks video. You don't need to intimidate a bunch of DUI and petty larceny thieves. Besides, you won't be around long enough to bulk up or join a prison gang.
7. Do not try to escape. It's too easy, and you'll only get laughed at. Remember, this is a minimum-security facility where they leave all the cell doors unlocked so you can wander around inside your block (a two-story area with tables in the middle holding about 50 inmates). Look, they even open the door to the entire block to serve meals. Only a couple of napping security guards and a door buzzer stand between you and the outside world. The only escapes that make the news involve rooftops, ladders, razor wire, chisels, tunnels, bodies of water, electric fences, and Iraq.
8. Take whatever meal is offered to you. Sentenced inmates have to take their meals by roll call, but all inmates are eligible to eat whatever tasty entree is on the menu. Remember all the stuff you refused to eat during middle school lunch? Yeah, the cafeteria workers made notes and put it on your "if you ever go to jail" record. This includes a healthy serving of prunes to keep you regular. That being said, if you skip a meal, don't expect to wander into the kitchen for a snack later on when you decide you're hungry. That might be considered an escape attempt, in which case you'll get laughed at for being fat.
9. Find the old guy with the beat-up checkers board and let him win. He'll feel like it's his first day in jail all over again, and you will become his understudy—a valuable position when it comes time for negotiating with the asshole warden. There are two kinds of inmates: orange suits (sentenced) and plain clothes (held until bail is posted, aka you). Old orange-suited Chubby Checker has been in and out of jail enough to know the warden personally and buffer your pitiful pleas with kiss-ass know-how.
10. Embellish the adventure of your capture and arrest until you've gathered a small crowd. Once again, it's all about P.R. If you market yourself correctly in jail, you will garner favors and insight into getting out. After the phone broke in my block and the guard said tough luck, another inmate explained to me that Officer DeMarcus would be in at the 7am shift change to let me use a different phone. Thank you Officer DeMarcus, I now realize that indeed, all 25 bail bond companies do reject calls from the city jail.
11. Don't leave jail without a shower! Each cell has two inmates, a shower, and a toilet. When they call your name on the P.A. and tell you you've made bail, quickly ask one of your enamored inmates if you could borrow their cell to take a hot shower and a steamy dump. Mmmmmm, prunes!
That concludes the "Beginner's Guide to Jail." Stay tuned next year for "Earning Your Bachelor's Degree from Maximum Security!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why couldn't the Inmate call his friend? - He didn't have a cell phone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A midget clairvoyant has escaped from the county jail. - APB reads: small medium at large.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A poll was taken in a sex offender block at a jail. The Inmates were asked what college team they liked best. BYU was the hands down favorite.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prison v Work:
IN PRISON ... you spend the majority of your time in an 8X10 cell.
AT WORK ... you spend the majority of your time in a 6X8 cubicle.
IN PRISON ... you get three meals a day.
AT WORK ... you only get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.
IN PRISON ... you get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK ... you get rewarded for good behavior with more work.
IN PRISON ... the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK ... you must carry around a security card and open all the doors for
Yourself.
IN PRISON ... you can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK ... you get fired for watching TV and playing games.
IN PRISON ... you get your own toilet.
AT WORK ... you have to share with some idiot who pees on the seat.
IN PRISON...they allow your family and friends to visit;
AT WORK ... you can't even speak to your family.
IN PRISON ... all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
AT WORK ... you get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.
IN PRISON ... you spend most of your life looking through bars from inside wanting to get out.
AT WORK ... you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.
IN PRISON ... you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK ... they are called your Boss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A man escapes from a prison where he has been kept for 15 years. He breaks into a house to look for money and guns and finds a young couple in bed. He orders the guy out of bed and ties him to a chair. While tying the wife to the bed he gets on top of her, kisses her on the neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom.
While he's in there, the husband tells his wife: "Listen, this guy is an escaped prisoner, look at his clothes! He probably spent lots of time in jail, and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain, do what he tells you, just give him satisfaction, no matter how much he ravages you. This guy is probably damned dangerous. If he gets angry, he'll kill us! Be strong, honey. I love you" To which the wife responds, "He wasn't kissing my neck". He was whispering in my ear. He told me he was gay, thought you were cute, and asked if we kept any Vaseline in the bathroom. I told him where to find it. Be strong, honey. I love you, too."
-------------------------------------------------
A man who had been caught embezzling millions from his employer went to a lawyer seeking defense. He didn?t want to go to jail. But his lawyer told him, "Don't worry. You'll never have to go to jail with all that money.? And the lawyer was right. When the man was sent to prison, he didn't have a dime.
---------------------------------------------
Jail Credits?
An attorney friend recently became involved in a case in which a criminal defendant had, with the assistance of his defense counsel, worked out a plea agreement with the prosecution in which he would plead guilty to an indictment in exchange for the prosecution and the court's sentencing him to five years of imprisonment.
The problem with this plea agreement was that the indicted charge by statute had a maximum penalty of two years. This problem was not discovered by a jail house lawyer until the defendant was four and a half years into his sentence, at which point the court vacated the sentence and adopted a “Visa Rewards” state of mind and re-sentenced the defendant to: "one year committed to the House of Correction. Defendant deemed to have 1,680 jail credit days."
Jail credit days? Is that like a get-out-of-jail free card? Does he have 1,680 days that he can apply to any future convictions?
Luckily for the defendant, he has a nephew who is Internet savvy and gave him the best advice of any that has been given to him in the past five years: “Try to sell your 1,680 jail credit days on eBay.
---------------------------------------------
The Beginner's Guide to Jail
1. Bring a positive attitude! Sure, jail seems like the worst thing that could happen to you, but it could be worse. Remember the time your girl/boyfriend caught you cheating? That was pretty bad, right? Jail is a lot more civilized. Nobody's going to yell at you, slap you, or threaten to withhold sex (believe me on the last one). Rest assured you'll eventually get the right to a fair trial, not an arbitrary condemnation and a big "fuck you, we're through." The justice system still has faith in you! Just try not to rest assured overnight...all prisoners are treated equally until your trial (this isn't the kind of equal treatment you want).
2. Forget about anything you brought besides a positive attitude. The police officers will confiscate everything on your person, except for your clothes, the moment you enter the jail. Ever felt naked without your cell phone? Prepare to get violated in jail. Read on.
3. You aren't limited to one phone call. That being said, the jail always gets the last laugh. Shit, I must have used the jail phone about 125 times...with a success rate of 0.05%. You see, collect calls don't work on cell phones, and collect calls made to local numbers require the receiving party to setup a credit card account with GlobalTel for $30 in order to receive your call. First, don't expect to recall even a fifth of your friends' cell phone numbers from memory, let alone their home phone numbers. Second, don't expect your parents to shell out $30 to receive a collect call from you—it's just not logical. Your only option? The classic collect-call trick: when the operator asks for your name, you have approximately 4.5 seconds to get your entire message across to the receiving party. Rehearse your sentence before calling. When you've cut out enough extraneous verbs and articles to sound like Microsoft tech support, you're know you're ready. I would suggest including three key phrases: "Your name," "in jail," "get me out."
4. When you get your mugshot taken, visualize Nick Nolte's DUI mug. Trust me, you'll laugh about it later. And if you ever do anything famous, you'll end up on thesmokinggun.com too.
5. Bail bond companies don't accept collect phone calls from the jail. Just how illogical is this? (NOTE: IOWA BAIL BONDS DOES ACCEPT COLLECT CALLS FROM JAIL!) Dumbfoundingly illogical. Put it this way: Imagine how much money you could make as a telemarketer by selling services at a 50% premium to clients over the phone. Now imagine you had to wait for these clients to call YOU. Now imagine blocking all of these clients from ever initiating contact in the first place. Congratulations, you now have the business model of a bail bond company. Don't expect to go public anytime soon. And just to torture you, the jail offers a list of over 25 bail bond companies phone numbers above the jail phone. Oh yes, you can dial them all you want, but that's what we like to call an "exercise in futility." Read on.
6. Do not over-exercise in jail. If you need to do a few standard push-ups or sit-ups to blow off some steam, fine. But do not be the Tae Bo idiot training for the next Billy Blanks video. You don't need to intimidate a bunch of DUI and petty larceny thieves. Besides, you won't be around long enough to bulk up or join a prison gang.
7. Do not try to escape. It's too easy, and you'll only get laughed at. Remember, this is a minimum-security facility where they leave all the cell doors unlocked so you can wander around inside your block (a two-story area with tables in the middle holding about 50 inmates). Look, they even open the door to the entire block to serve meals. Only a couple of napping security guards and a door buzzer stand between you and the outside world. The only escapes that make the news involve rooftops, ladders, razor wire, chisels, tunnels, bodies of water, electric fences, and Iraq.
8. Take whatever meal is offered to you. Sentenced inmates have to take their meals by roll call, but all inmates are eligible to eat whatever tasty entree is on the menu. Remember all the stuff you refused to eat during middle school lunch? Yeah, the cafeteria workers made notes and put it on your "if you ever go to jail" record. This includes a healthy serving of prunes to keep you regular. That being said, if you skip a meal, don't expect to wander into the kitchen for a snack later on when you decide you're hungry. That might be considered an escape attempt, in which case you'll get laughed at for being fat.
9. Find the old guy with the beat-up checkers board and let him win. He'll feel like it's his first day in jail all over again, and you will become his understudy—a valuable position when it comes time for negotiating with the asshole warden. There are two kinds of inmates: orange suits (sentenced) and plain clothes (held until bail is posted, aka you). Old orange-suited Chubby Checker has been in and out of jail enough to know the warden personally and buffer your pitiful pleas with kiss-ass know-how.
10. Embellish the adventure of your capture and arrest until you've gathered a small crowd. Once again, it's all about P.R. If you market yourself correctly in jail, you will garner favors and insight into getting out. After the phone broke in my block and the guard said tough luck, another inmate explained to me that Officer DeMarcus would be in at the 7am shift change to let me use a different phone. Thank you Officer DeMarcus, I now realize that indeed, all 25 bail bond companies do reject calls from the city jail.
11. Don't leave jail without a shower! Each cell has two inmates, a shower, and a toilet. When they call your name on the P.A. and tell you you've made bail, quickly ask one of your enamored inmates if you could borrow their cell to take a hot shower and a steamy dump. Mmmmmm, prunes!
That concludes the "Beginner's Guide to Jail." Stay tuned next year for "Earning Your Bachelor's Degree from Maximum Security!"
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Rapper The Game Escapes Jail on Battery Charges
There's this rapper called "The Game." What kind of freaking name is that, anyway? Can you imagine his 5-year-old kid at school? "My daddy is The Game."
"What game? Candy Land?"
"No, THE Game."
"Oh, Hungry Hungry Hippos?"
At any rate, The Game - who really does have two sons - is in legal trouble. I know, a rapper in trouble with the law. What will they think of next? Apparently he got in a fist fight with his cousin at a family funeral a few months ago because, you know, rappers are classy that way. They're really like rednecks on the Jerry Springer Show. With more rhythm.
The Game, whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, had to go to court over this criminal battery charge. The judge said that Taylor won't have to go to jail if he attends 36 anger management meetings by February. This is probably the way to go for Taylor, since he's currently on parole for a previous gun offense. I KNOW! A rapper with a gun! Crazy.
But anger management classes? What the hell is The Game gonna do for a living after that? I mean, you take the anger out of rap and what are you left with? Reggae?
LAWYER JOKES:
The problems with lawyer jokes is that
1. lawyers don't think they're funny and,
2. the rest of us don't think they're jokes!
Warning Signs that you Might Need a Different Lawyer
1. He tells you that his last good case was a Budweiser.
2. When the prosecutors see who your lawyer is, they high-five each other.
3. He picks the jury by playing "duck-duck-goose."
4. He tells you that he has never told a lie.
5. A prison guard is shaving your head.
Q: What do you call a million lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start.
Q: Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?
A: Take your foot off his head.
Q: How do you get a lawyer out of a tree?
A: Cut the rope.
Q: How do you know if a lawyer is well-hung?
A: When you can't fit your fingers between the rope and his neck.
Q: What's black and brown and looks good on a lawyer?
A: A Doberman Pinscher.
Q: What's the difference between God and a lawyer?
A: God doesn't think he's a lawyer.
Q: How can you tell if a lawyer is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Q: How many lawyer jokes are there?
A: Only three. The rest are true stories.
The problems with lawyer jokes is that
1. lawyers don't think they're funny and,
2. the rest of us don't think they're jokes!
Warning Signs that you Might Need a Different Lawyer
1. He tells you that his last good case was a Budweiser.
2. When the prosecutors see who your lawyer is, they high-five each other.
3. He picks the jury by playing "duck-duck-goose."
4. He tells you that he has never told a lie.
5. A prison guard is shaving your head.
Q: What do you call a million lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start.
Q: Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?
A: Take your foot off his head.
Q: How do you get a lawyer out of a tree?
A: Cut the rope.
Q: How do you know if a lawyer is well-hung?
A: When you can't fit your fingers between the rope and his neck.
Q: What's black and brown and looks good on a lawyer?
A: A Doberman Pinscher.
Q: What's the difference between God and a lawyer?
A: God doesn't think he's a lawyer.
Q: How can you tell if a lawyer is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Q: How many lawyer jokes are there?
A: Only three. The rest are true stories.
JUDGE DENIES BAIL FOR 'ROCKEFELLER' IN KIDNAP CASE
BOSTON - A judge has ordered the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller held without bail in Boston, denying a request for lower bail by citing the defendant's history of deception.
The unusual move by Superior Judge D. Lloyd Macdonald came after Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter's attorney argued many murder defendants get lower bail than the $50 million bail set by a magistrate this week.
Gerhartsreiter has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the alleged kidnapping of his daughter in July in Boston. He was arrested in August in Baltimore.
Authorities say Gerhartsreiter has used numerous aliases. He is considered a person of interest but has not been charged in the disappearance of a California couple in the 1980s.
Fugitive Investigator Acquitted of Manslaughter
Fugitive Investigator Acquitted of Manslaughter
A Callaway County jury has acquitted a fugitive apprehension agent in the fatal shooting of an unarmed parole jumper in Cape Girardeau.
Jurors reached the not-guilty verdict Tuesday in the involuntary manslaughter case against Steven R. Julian, 46, in the February death of Zachary Snyder. The trial took place in Callaway County on a change of venue.
Authorities say Julian went to an apartment complex to apprehend Snyder, who was wanted on a parole violation. He confronted Snyder, then shot him in the back after the suspect abruptly spun around. Julian testified that he could not see whether Snyder had a weapon in his left hand.
When the verdict was read, Julian's family members and co-workers breathed a sigh of relief with an audible gasp.
Across the aisle, Snyder's mother, Edith Snyder, sat in silence, a hand clasped to her mouth, eyes lowered, before hurrying out of the courtroom.
A Callaway County jury has acquitted a fugitive apprehension agent in the fatal shooting of an unarmed parole jumper in Cape Girardeau.
Jurors reached the not-guilty verdict Tuesday in the involuntary manslaughter case against Steven R. Julian, 46, in the February death of Zachary Snyder. The trial took place in Callaway County on a change of venue.
Authorities say Julian went to an apartment complex to apprehend Snyder, who was wanted on a parole violation. He confronted Snyder, then shot him in the back after the suspect abruptly spun around. Julian testified that he could not see whether Snyder had a weapon in his left hand.
When the verdict was read, Julian's family members and co-workers breathed a sigh of relief with an audible gasp.
Across the aisle, Snyder's mother, Edith Snyder, sat in silence, a hand clasped to her mouth, eyes lowered, before hurrying out of the courtroom.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Stupid Criminal Stories
Men Steal From Spy Store
DALLAS - Police said two burglars struck a Texas store that sells high-end security equipment, and the whole thing was caught on tape by 17 cameras rolling in the store.
"The point is, nobody is safe; there is always a stupid criminal out there," said Kris Webb, owner of Spy Supply.
The thieves broke into Webb's surveillance gear store in North Richland Hills, Texas, last week.
"I've got them on no less than 17 cameras," Webb said. "We are a security business."
And if the name of the business wasn't telling enough, multiple warning signs on the store should have given the burglars a clue that they would be on camera.
"It is absolutely astounding that these people have the audacity to steal from us and not expect to get caught," Webb said.
The surveillance cameras caught several clear images of the two men who broke in through the store's front door with a crowbar early Friday.
Police said the duo filled a trash can with close to $10,000 worth of spy equipment.
Authorities said the video even showed a clear shot of their getaway car.
Webb said he's taking the robbery in stride.
"I'm pretty confident they will get caught," he said. "I'm not confident we'll get our equipment back."
----------------
Ex-con allegedly targets cops for robbery
NEW YORK, - An ex-con allegedly tried to rob two people in New York, police said, but didn't notice his intended victims were police officers -- in uniform.
Police said 33-year-old Jermaine Washington allegedly was so intent on robbing someone Saturday that he pulled a fake handgun on the two armed police officers as they walked through Riverside Park, The New York Daily News said.
"It was stupid criminal tricks," a police source said. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."
After Washington allegedly pulled his fake gun, the two officers drew their real weapons and Washington surrendered after a short but tense standoff.
--------------
Don't leave clues behind ...
A BURGLAR who knocked on his victim's door before he crept in through an open window was caught after he left behind medication with his name on.
Heroin addict John Beckwith provided police with another valuable clue at the scene -an imprint of his training shoe on a window sill.
A court heard yesterday that Beckwith thought he was breaking into an empty house because homeowner Jane Simmonds did not answer his knocks on the door.
But the 28-year-old was left as shocked as Ms Simmonds when he walked into her bedroom and found her sitting on a bed having an afternoon cup of tea.
Drug addict Beckwith fled from the three-bedroomed house in Stockton with handfuls of belongings, but dropped a bottle of methadone on the grass outside.
Teesside Crown Court was told that he stole house and car keys, bottles of alcohol, cigarettes and a handbag containing credit cards and building society books.
Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Beckwith was arrested two days later and said police found the shoe that left the print at Ms Simmonds' home in Hunwick Walk.
Peter Wishlade, in mitigation, said Beckwith had been evicted from his home days before the break-in when police closed it down under drugs legislation.
He said: "He found himself living on the street, wandering around with no money and with nowhere to reside because none of his family would accommodate him.
"He checked by knocking on the door if anyone was in, but unfortunately, the lady did not hear that.
"He was as surprised as she was by the confrontation.
"He ran out. He had no wish to disturb anyone. He would like to apologise for the distress he would have caused that lady."
Beckwith, of Buchanan Street, Stockton, who has previous convictions for break-ins and thefts, admitted the July 28 burglary and was jailed for 30 months.
Judge Tony Briggs told him: "Sneak-in burglaries are very distressing because, however they are committed, however careful the owner is, one always runs the risk of confronting the householder."
The court heard that since he was on remand, Beckwith has reduced his methadone intake and is now employed in the prison workshop making tables and chairs for other jails.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
DALLAS - Police said two burglars struck a Texas store that sells high-end security equipment, and the whole thing was caught on tape by 17 cameras rolling in the store.
"The point is, nobody is safe; there is always a stupid criminal out there," said Kris Webb, owner of Spy Supply.
The thieves broke into Webb's surveillance gear store in North Richland Hills, Texas, last week.
"I've got them on no less than 17 cameras," Webb said. "We are a security business."
And if the name of the business wasn't telling enough, multiple warning signs on the store should have given the burglars a clue that they would be on camera.
"It is absolutely astounding that these people have the audacity to steal from us and not expect to get caught," Webb said.
The surveillance cameras caught several clear images of the two men who broke in through the store's front door with a crowbar early Friday.
Police said the duo filled a trash can with close to $10,000 worth of spy equipment.
Authorities said the video even showed a clear shot of their getaway car.
Webb said he's taking the robbery in stride.
"I'm pretty confident they will get caught," he said. "I'm not confident we'll get our equipment back."
----------------
Ex-con allegedly targets cops for robbery
NEW YORK, - An ex-con allegedly tried to rob two people in New York, police said, but didn't notice his intended victims were police officers -- in uniform.
Police said 33-year-old Jermaine Washington allegedly was so intent on robbing someone Saturday that he pulled a fake handgun on the two armed police officers as they walked through Riverside Park, The New York Daily News said.
"It was stupid criminal tricks," a police source said. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."
After Washington allegedly pulled his fake gun, the two officers drew their real weapons and Washington surrendered after a short but tense standoff.
--------------
Don't leave clues behind ...
A BURGLAR who knocked on his victim's door before he crept in through an open window was caught after he left behind medication with his name on.
Heroin addict John Beckwith provided police with another valuable clue at the scene -an imprint of his training shoe on a window sill.
A court heard yesterday that Beckwith thought he was breaking into an empty house because homeowner Jane Simmonds did not answer his knocks on the door.
But the 28-year-old was left as shocked as Ms Simmonds when he walked into her bedroom and found her sitting on a bed having an afternoon cup of tea.
Drug addict Beckwith fled from the three-bedroomed house in Stockton with handfuls of belongings, but dropped a bottle of methadone on the grass outside.
Teesside Crown Court was told that he stole house and car keys, bottles of alcohol, cigarettes and a handbag containing credit cards and building society books.
Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Beckwith was arrested two days later and said police found the shoe that left the print at Ms Simmonds' home in Hunwick Walk.
Peter Wishlade, in mitigation, said Beckwith had been evicted from his home days before the break-in when police closed it down under drugs legislation.
He said: "He found himself living on the street, wandering around with no money and with nowhere to reside because none of his family would accommodate him.
"He checked by knocking on the door if anyone was in, but unfortunately, the lady did not hear that.
"He was as surprised as she was by the confrontation.
"He ran out. He had no wish to disturb anyone. He would like to apologise for the distress he would have caused that lady."
Beckwith, of Buchanan Street, Stockton, who has previous convictions for break-ins and thefts, admitted the July 28 burglary and was jailed for 30 months.
Judge Tony Briggs told him: "Sneak-in burglaries are very distressing because, however they are committed, however careful the owner is, one always runs the risk of confronting the householder."
The court heard that since he was on remand, Beckwith has reduced his methadone intake and is now employed in the prison workshop making tables and chairs for other jails.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Let us Serve you before your CELLMATE does!
The Yard Sale!
A lady was taking her time browsing through everything at a yardsale and said to the hostess, “My husband is going to be veryangry when he finds out I stopped at a yard sale.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand when you tell him about all thebargains,” the hostess replied.
“Normally, yes,” the lady said. “But he just broke his leg,and he’s waiting for me to take him to the hospital to have it set.”
Pair arrested for telling lawyer jokes
BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY
From Newsday staff writer
Posted January 12 2005
HEMPSTEAD, Long Island -- The line leading into First District Court in Hempstead, Long Island, Monday morning was long and frustrating, but it was the punch line in a lawyer joke that got two rabble-rousing comedians arrested.
"How do you tell when a lawyer is lying?" Harvey Kash, 69, of Bethpage, said to Carl Lanzisera, 65, of Huntington, as the queue wound into the court. "His lips are moving," they said in unison, completing one of what may be thousands of standard lawyer jokes.
But while that rib and several others on barristers got some giggles from the crowd, the attorney standing in line about five people ahead wasn't laughing.
" 'Shut up,' the man shouted," Lanzisera said. "'I'm a lawyer.'"
The attorney reported Kash and Lanzisera to court personnel, who arrested the men and charged them with engaging in disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
"They put the handcuffs on us, brought us into a room, frisked us, sat us down and checked our driver's licenses to see if there were any warrants out for our arrest," Lanzisera said yesterday. "They were very nasty, extremely nasty."
The men are founders of Americans for Legal Reform, a group of outspoken advocates who use confrontational tactics to push for greater access to courts for the public and to monitor how well courts serve the public. One tactic is driving a truck around the Huntington area emblazoned with the slogan "Stop The Lawyer Disease." They said their rights to free speech were violated Monday.
But Dan Bagnuola, a spokesman for the Nassau courts, said the men were causing a stir and that their exercise of their First Amendment rights to free speech was impeding the rights of others at the court.
"They were being abusive and they were causing a disturbance," Bagnuola said. "They were making general comments to the people on line, referring to them as 'peasants,' and they were causing a disturbance. And they were asked on several occasions to act in an orderly manner, not to interfere with the operation of the court."
Bagnuola said he did not have the name of the lawyer who complained to officers.
Kash said he and Lanzisera were merely saying out loud that the public was being treated like peons or peasants while attorneys, who wave their security passes to court officers and don't have to stand on line, are treated like kings.
"I'm not surprised this happened because anybody who stands up for their rights is put down because these people want only one thing, and that is control," Kash said.
The men were given desk appearance tickets and are due back in court - as defendants - next month.
Court jesters
Harvey Kash and Carl Lanzisera poked fun of lawyers while in line at First District Court in Hempstead yesterday - but court officers weren't laughing. Here are some of the jokes that got them in hot water:
Q: What do you say to a lawyer with an IQ of 50?
A: Good morning, Your Honor.
Q: How do you tell if a lawyer is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Q: Why do they bury lawyers 100 feet into the ground?
A: Because down deep, they're good people.
Q: What's the difference between a vulture and a lawyer?
A: Wing tips.
A lady was taking her time browsing through everything at a yardsale and said to the hostess, “My husband is going to be veryangry when he finds out I stopped at a yard sale.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand when you tell him about all thebargains,” the hostess replied.
“Normally, yes,” the lady said. “But he just broke his leg,and he’s waiting for me to take him to the hospital to have it set.”
Pair arrested for telling lawyer jokes
BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY
From Newsday staff writer
Posted January 12 2005
HEMPSTEAD, Long Island -- The line leading into First District Court in Hempstead, Long Island, Monday morning was long and frustrating, but it was the punch line in a lawyer joke that got two rabble-rousing comedians arrested.
"How do you tell when a lawyer is lying?" Harvey Kash, 69, of Bethpage, said to Carl Lanzisera, 65, of Huntington, as the queue wound into the court. "His lips are moving," they said in unison, completing one of what may be thousands of standard lawyer jokes.
But while that rib and several others on barristers got some giggles from the crowd, the attorney standing in line about five people ahead wasn't laughing.
" 'Shut up,' the man shouted," Lanzisera said. "'I'm a lawyer.'"
The attorney reported Kash and Lanzisera to court personnel, who arrested the men and charged them with engaging in disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
"They put the handcuffs on us, brought us into a room, frisked us, sat us down and checked our driver's licenses to see if there were any warrants out for our arrest," Lanzisera said yesterday. "They were very nasty, extremely nasty."
The men are founders of Americans for Legal Reform, a group of outspoken advocates who use confrontational tactics to push for greater access to courts for the public and to monitor how well courts serve the public. One tactic is driving a truck around the Huntington area emblazoned with the slogan "Stop The Lawyer Disease." They said their rights to free speech were violated Monday.
But Dan Bagnuola, a spokesman for the Nassau courts, said the men were causing a stir and that their exercise of their First Amendment rights to free speech was impeding the rights of others at the court.
"They were being abusive and they were causing a disturbance," Bagnuola said. "They were making general comments to the people on line, referring to them as 'peasants,' and they were causing a disturbance. And they were asked on several occasions to act in an orderly manner, not to interfere with the operation of the court."
Bagnuola said he did not have the name of the lawyer who complained to officers.
Kash said he and Lanzisera were merely saying out loud that the public was being treated like peons or peasants while attorneys, who wave their security passes to court officers and don't have to stand on line, are treated like kings.
"I'm not surprised this happened because anybody who stands up for their rights is put down because these people want only one thing, and that is control," Kash said.
The men were given desk appearance tickets and are due back in court - as defendants - next month.
Court jesters
Harvey Kash and Carl Lanzisera poked fun of lawyers while in line at First District Court in Hempstead yesterday - but court officers weren't laughing. Here are some of the jokes that got them in hot water:
Q: What do you say to a lawyer with an IQ of 50?
A: Good morning, Your Honor.
Q: How do you tell if a lawyer is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Q: Why do they bury lawyers 100 feet into the ground?
A: Because down deep, they're good people.
Q: What's the difference between a vulture and a lawyer?
A: Wing tips.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Jury Seeks 40 Year Prison Term for Bondsman's Murder
Jury Seeks 40 Year Prison Term for Bondsman's Murder
Bad timing cost James E. Carr seven years of freedom.
A Richmond jury recommended yesterday that Carr serve 40 years in prison for first-degree murder and felonious use of a firearm in the death of bail bondsman James W. Woolfolk III.
Minutes before the jury signaled that it had reached a decision on the sentence in its second day of deliberations, Carr's defense attorney and Richmond prosecutors had reached a plea agreement that would have given him 33 years in prison.
"I really have no reason to accept the plea agreement," Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals told the attorneys before calling in the jury to render its verdict.
Snukals will sentence Carr on Nov. 7, but members of Woolfolk's family left court yesterday satisfied with the jury's decision. The jury convicted Carr of first-degree murder on Tuesday.
"Though nothing will bring him back, this sure helps," said Theresa Godbold, niece of the 39-year-old bail bondsman, who was killed March 6 in South Richmond while trying to arrest Carr, 20, for skipping court on a felony drug charge.
James Woolfolk was the first bail bondsman killed in Virginia while on duty in recent memory. He was unarmed when he was shot three times from behind after finding Carr hiding in a bedroom closet at 2313 Joplin Ave.
"I shot him three times in the back. . . . I did a cowardly act," Carr confessed Tuesday evening during testimony on the sentencing.
Prosecutors said Carr had a simple reason for shooting Woolfolk: "He just did not want to go back to jail," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, who called the shooting "a cold-blooded execution."
Carr's stepfather, Michael Morris, testified that Woolfolk had turned his back and started toward the living room when he was shot. "He said, 'All right, Jimmy, you know what this is. Let's go.'" Woolfolk's mother, Theresa Woolfolk, said the family was satisfied with the recommended sentence. "We hope the best for James Carr and his family," she said.
Defense attorney Dean C. Marcus said Carr had shown remorse from the beginning for killing Woolfolk. "It's been eating him up," Marcus said after the jury rendered its recommendation.
But Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew P. Geary responded, "If Mr. Carr was truly remorseful for what he did, he would have spared his family and the victim's family the agony of trying this case."
Carr still faces charges in Richmond of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, felony drug possession, and failure to appear in court -- the charge that brought Woolfolk to the house where he died. He also faces a charge that he violated his probation on a robbery charge in Henrico County, where he had a suspended sentence of 10 years.
Geary said his office is working with Henrico to revoke the suspension and reinstate the full sentence.
Bad timing cost James E. Carr seven years of freedom.
A Richmond jury recommended yesterday that Carr serve 40 years in prison for first-degree murder and felonious use of a firearm in the death of bail bondsman James W. Woolfolk III.
Minutes before the jury signaled that it had reached a decision on the sentence in its second day of deliberations, Carr's defense attorney and Richmond prosecutors had reached a plea agreement that would have given him 33 years in prison.
"I really have no reason to accept the plea agreement," Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals told the attorneys before calling in the jury to render its verdict.
Snukals will sentence Carr on Nov. 7, but members of Woolfolk's family left court yesterday satisfied with the jury's decision. The jury convicted Carr of first-degree murder on Tuesday.
"Though nothing will bring him back, this sure helps," said Theresa Godbold, niece of the 39-year-old bail bondsman, who was killed March 6 in South Richmond while trying to arrest Carr, 20, for skipping court on a felony drug charge.
James Woolfolk was the first bail bondsman killed in Virginia while on duty in recent memory. He was unarmed when he was shot three times from behind after finding Carr hiding in a bedroom closet at 2313 Joplin Ave.
"I shot him three times in the back. . . . I did a cowardly act," Carr confessed Tuesday evening during testimony on the sentencing.
Prosecutors said Carr had a simple reason for shooting Woolfolk: "He just did not want to go back to jail," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, who called the shooting "a cold-blooded execution."
Carr's stepfather, Michael Morris, testified that Woolfolk had turned his back and started toward the living room when he was shot. "He said, 'All right, Jimmy, you know what this is. Let's go.'" Woolfolk's mother, Theresa Woolfolk, said the family was satisfied with the recommended sentence. "We hope the best for James Carr and his family," she said.
Defense attorney Dean C. Marcus said Carr had shown remorse from the beginning for killing Woolfolk. "It's been eating him up," Marcus said after the jury rendered its recommendation.
But Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew P. Geary responded, "If Mr. Carr was truly remorseful for what he did, he would have spared his family and the victim's family the agony of trying this case."
Carr still faces charges in Richmond of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, felony drug possession, and failure to appear in court -- the charge that brought Woolfolk to the house where he died. He also faces a charge that he violated his probation on a robbery charge in Henrico County, where he had a suspended sentence of 10 years.
Geary said his office is working with Henrico to revoke the suspension and reinstate the full sentence.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
MINDY McCREADY JAIL
MINDY McCREADY JAIL
Country singer Mindy McCready surrenders to authorities tomorrow.
McCready's lawyer cut a deal with the Tennessee Williamson County prosecutor and will serve a 60 day sentence for probation violation.
The sentence stem from her falsifying her community service records while on probation for a 2004 drug charge.
McCready who made headlines over the summer as the under-age lover of baseball player Roger Clemens stated she wants to put this behind her so she can concentrate on her music career.
She's also trying to regain custody of her son Zander.
Mindy had a hit in 1996 with "Guys Do it All The Time."
Country singer Mindy McCready surrenders to authorities tomorrow.
McCready's lawyer cut a deal with the Tennessee Williamson County prosecutor and will serve a 60 day sentence for probation violation.
The sentence stem from her falsifying her community service records while on probation for a 2004 drug charge.
McCready who made headlines over the summer as the under-age lover of baseball player Roger Clemens stated she wants to put this behind her so she can concentrate on her music career.
She's also trying to regain custody of her son Zander.
Mindy had a hit in 1996 with "Guys Do it All The Time."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
"Dog" Causing Controversy in Colorado
"Dog" Causing Controversy in Colorado
Family of the fugitive whom Duane “Dog” Chapman is chasing on the Front Range say the famous bounty hunter has repeatedly threatened them during the course of his investigation.
Chapman, however, said he and his posse, featured on the A&E television show “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” have done nothing out of the ordinary.
Tony Padilla, father of Mesa County fugitive Marco Padilla, said Chapman and his crew over the past two weeks have shown up at his Aurora home and threatened him.
“I don’t know what to do,” Padilla said. “I swear to God. This is scary.”
Tony Padilla said Chapman and company threatened him, swore at him and demanded as recently as Monday night that he say where Marco is staying.
“I don’t know where he’s staying,” Padilla said. “I don’t know his phone number. Marco has changed his number.”
Marco Padilla, 32, is wanted on a $150,000 failure-to-appear warrant after he failed to show up for sentencing in a 2007 drug case in Mesa County.
Chapman and his crew, according to a police report filed Tuesday, also have harassed Elizabeth Padilla, Marco’s sister in Aurora. Padilla, according to the report, allowed Chapman, his wife, Beth, and his crew to search her home in August. Their interactions took a turn for the worse, the report said, when Chapman and his wife tailed her Sept. 10 after she left a Wal-Mart
Family of the fugitive whom Duane “Dog” Chapman is chasing on the Front Range say the famous bounty hunter has repeatedly threatened them during the course of his investigation.
Chapman, however, said he and his posse, featured on the A&E television show “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” have done nothing out of the ordinary.
Tony Padilla, father of Mesa County fugitive Marco Padilla, said Chapman and his crew over the past two weeks have shown up at his Aurora home and threatened him.
“I don’t know what to do,” Padilla said. “I swear to God. This is scary.”
Tony Padilla said Chapman and company threatened him, swore at him and demanded as recently as Monday night that he say where Marco is staying.
“I don’t know where he’s staying,” Padilla said. “I don’t know his phone number. Marco has changed his number.”
Marco Padilla, 32, is wanted on a $150,000 failure-to-appear warrant after he failed to show up for sentencing in a 2007 drug case in Mesa County.
Chapman and his crew, according to a police report filed Tuesday, also have harassed Elizabeth Padilla, Marco’s sister in Aurora. Padilla, according to the report, allowed Chapman, his wife, Beth, and his crew to search her home in August. Their interactions took a turn for the worse, the report said, when Chapman and his wife tailed her Sept. 10 after she left a Wal-Mart
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Bounty Hunters Dogged By Image of Glamour Job
Bounty Hunters Dogged By Image of Glamour Job
Leather jackets, long hair, a fleet of SUVs and a film crew are not standard gear for local bounty hunters.
But if your name is Duane “Dog” Chapman and you are the star of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” on A&E, then by all means bring the bling and let the cameras roll.
By contrast, local bondsmen — and women — say they try to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Some are upset Chapman has landed in western Colorado, while others are a bit more appreciative, even lending the Dog a helping hand.
“I think he is glamorizing this like it is a fun job,” said Fred Schultz, 51, of AKA Bail Bonds in Rifle. “In all the time I have been bounty hunting and bail bonding, I have had one fight. It wasn’t all this drama. It is like he is the Jerry Springer of bounty hunting.”
Alma Krabbe, 54, owner of Mr. C’s Bail Bonds, said Dog making headlines in the local press is making her life more dangerous.
“It is putting us all at risk because (wanted people) are all in hiding,” Krabbe said. “Now they are just scared, so now we are going to have problems. He is going to come in and do his little thing and just leave, and we are going to be stuck with a big mess. A lot of (local fugitives) are leaving the state because he, the Dog, needs to find them for his show.”
There is some question as to whether Chapman and his posse are still in town, or even in the state.
“To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Chapman left Mesa County shortly after he left the Justice Center (Wednesday),” Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said. “I don’t think Mr. Chapman is here, and I don’t think he is looking for anybody in this county.”
At least two local bounty hunters said they have been in communication with Dog and his associates Friday.
“It is my man that he is looking for,” said Dean Hergenrader, 38, owner of AA Bail Bonds in Montrose and Bail-Ya Bail Bonds in Grand Junction. “He missed court, I’m guessing approximately 100 days ago. I don’t remember the charges.”
Hergenrader said he dropped off paperwork Friday with one of Dog’s associates on his bail jumper, for whom he posted a $40,000-plus bond.
Now Hergenrader is on the hook for that amount. If his insurance company pays off the bond, it could come after him for compensation, he said.
That’s the nature of the beast. Bondsmen can charge customers up to 15 percent of their bond, but to make money, those people have to show up in court. So, to be a successful bondsman, it pays to get as much information on clients as possible before posting bond, said Nancee White, 47, owner of Extreme and Goods Bail Bonds.
“I can usually tell when a person is going to take off just by their handwriting,” she said.
If the people are evasive and offer little personal information on their bond application, that’s a good indication they may jump bail, White said. When that happens, she has a deep-rooted network, like any good bondsman, to ferret out leads on peoples’ whereabouts.
Dog knows this and that’s why he’s been in touch with White, she said.
“I’ve been speaking with Dog. I’ve been on the phone with him all morning,” White said Friday. “He knows he can not infiltrate this area without local help.”
Dog has a standing offer to pick up, for free, anyone a local bondsman is having trouble apprehending, White said.
“My feeling is that they are out of episodes, and that is why they are here,” she said. “Why else would they be out here?”
Leather jackets, long hair, a fleet of SUVs and a film crew are not standard gear for local bounty hunters.
But if your name is Duane “Dog” Chapman and you are the star of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” on A&E, then by all means bring the bling and let the cameras roll.
By contrast, local bondsmen — and women — say they try to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Some are upset Chapman has landed in western Colorado, while others are a bit more appreciative, even lending the Dog a helping hand.
“I think he is glamorizing this like it is a fun job,” said Fred Schultz, 51, of AKA Bail Bonds in Rifle. “In all the time I have been bounty hunting and bail bonding, I have had one fight. It wasn’t all this drama. It is like he is the Jerry Springer of bounty hunting.”
Alma Krabbe, 54, owner of Mr. C’s Bail Bonds, said Dog making headlines in the local press is making her life more dangerous.
“It is putting us all at risk because (wanted people) are all in hiding,” Krabbe said. “Now they are just scared, so now we are going to have problems. He is going to come in and do his little thing and just leave, and we are going to be stuck with a big mess. A lot of (local fugitives) are leaving the state because he, the Dog, needs to find them for his show.”
There is some question as to whether Chapman and his posse are still in town, or even in the state.
“To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Chapman left Mesa County shortly after he left the Justice Center (Wednesday),” Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said. “I don’t think Mr. Chapman is here, and I don’t think he is looking for anybody in this county.”
At least two local bounty hunters said they have been in communication with Dog and his associates Friday.
“It is my man that he is looking for,” said Dean Hergenrader, 38, owner of AA Bail Bonds in Montrose and Bail-Ya Bail Bonds in Grand Junction. “He missed court, I’m guessing approximately 100 days ago. I don’t remember the charges.”
Hergenrader said he dropped off paperwork Friday with one of Dog’s associates on his bail jumper, for whom he posted a $40,000-plus bond.
Now Hergenrader is on the hook for that amount. If his insurance company pays off the bond, it could come after him for compensation, he said.
That’s the nature of the beast. Bondsmen can charge customers up to 15 percent of their bond, but to make money, those people have to show up in court. So, to be a successful bondsman, it pays to get as much information on clients as possible before posting bond, said Nancee White, 47, owner of Extreme and Goods Bail Bonds.
“I can usually tell when a person is going to take off just by their handwriting,” she said.
If the people are evasive and offer little personal information on their bond application, that’s a good indication they may jump bail, White said. When that happens, she has a deep-rooted network, like any good bondsman, to ferret out leads on peoples’ whereabouts.
Dog knows this and that’s why he’s been in touch with White, she said.
“I’ve been speaking with Dog. I’ve been on the phone with him all morning,” White said Friday. “He knows he can not infiltrate this area without local help.”
Dog has a standing offer to pick up, for free, anyone a local bondsman is having trouble apprehending, White said.
“My feeling is that they are out of episodes, and that is why they are here,” she said. “Why else would they be out here?”
Friday, August 8, 2008
Iowa Bail Laws
Iowa Bail Laws
1. Applicable Statutes
Iowa Code Title 3: Public Services and Regulation, Subtitle 1: Public Safety, Chapter 80A: Private Investigative Agencies and Security Agents
Iowa Code Title 16: Criminal Law and Procedure, Subtitle 2: Criminal Procedure, Chapter 811: Pretrial Release- Bail.
The Regulatory Body is the Department of Public Safety for Bail Enforcement Agents and the Department of Insurance for Bail Agents.
2. Licensing Requirements
Bail agents are licensed as insurance producers in Iowa and must comply with the following for licensure:
Be at least 18 years of age
Not have been convicted of a felony, or found to have committed insurance fraud, unfair trade practices, student loan default or child support default
Take and pass written examination testing knowledge of insurance laws of Iowa
Pay $50 examination fee
Fill out required application forms
Have the character and competence to act as an insurance producer
Not have been denied an insurance producer license in any other state or territory
3. Notice of Forfeiture
If the defendant fails to appear, the court must direct an entry of the failure to be made of record, and the undertaking of the defendant's bail, or the money deposited, is thereupon forfeited.
[IC § 10-2-811.6]
The court shall direct the clerk of the district court of the county to give ten days' notice in writing to the defendant and the defendant's sureties to appear and show cause, if any, why judgment should not be entered for the amount of bail.
If such appearance is not made, judgment shall be entered by the court. If appearance is made, the court shall set the case down for immediate hearing as an ordinary action.
4. Forfeiture to Judgment
The period between forfeiture and judgment is 10 days. [IC § 10-2-811.6]
5. Forfeiture Defenses
While there appear to be no statutory defenses to forfeiture, Iowa case law reflects that forfeiture may be avoided only when a bondsman shows some “reasonable excuse” for failing to produce the defendant. See State v. Costello , 489 N.W.2d 735 ( Iowa , 1992)
6. Remission
Where a forfeiture and judgment have been entered as provided in this section, and the amount of the judgment has been paid to the clerk, the clerk shall hold the same as funds of the clerk's office for a period of sixty days from the date of judgment.
The court may, upon application, set aside such judgment if, within sixty days from the date thereof, the defendant shall voluntarily surrender to the sheriff of the county, or the defendant's sureties shall, at their own expense, deliver the defendant to the custody of the sheriff. Such judgment shall not be set aside, however, unless as a condition precedent thereto, the defendant and the defendant's sureties shall have paid all costs and expenses incurred in connection therewith. [IC § 10-2-811.6]
7. Bail Agent's Arrest Authority
For the purpose of surrendering the defendant, the surety, at any time may arrest the defendant, or, by a written authority endorsed on a certified copy of the undertaking, may empower any person of suitable age and discretion to do so. In making an arrest pursuant to this subsection, the surety or any person empowered by the surety shall possess no more authority than a peace officer would possess in making a lawful arrest under section 804.8, 804.13, 804.14, or 804.15. [IC § 10-2-811.8]
8. Other Noteworthy Provisions
Civil liability of bail enforcement agents. [IC § 3-1-80A.16A]
A person other than a defendant who is injured in person or property by the actions of a bail enforcement agent in taking or attempting to take a defendant into custody may bring a civil action for damages against such agent and the bail enforcement business for breach of any applicable standard of care.
Notwithstanding the limitation of liability of any surety for the actions of a bail enforcement agent or bail enforcement business, the court shall enter a judgment against a bail enforcement agent or bail enforcement business determined to have breached the applicable standard of care. The judgment shall include an award of treble damages, and recovery of costs and reasonable attorney fees.
9. Noteworthy Appellate Decisions
State of Iowa v. Hawkeye Bail Bonds , No. 96-764
Supreme Court of Iowa, June 18, 1997.
Hawkeye Bail Bonds acted as surety on two bonds posted by Juan Jose Rojas- Cardona (the defendant) in two separate appeals from criminal convictions. After the convictions were affirmed on appeal, the defendant requested and obtained delays in the issuance of the mittimus in each case. When the extended time expired and the defendant did not appear, the court forfeited his bonds. The surety appealed.
Hawkeye raises three issues on appeal: (1) whether the court's delays in the issuance of the mittimus were illegal, thus relieving the surety of its obligation; (2) whether extending the mittimus improperly modified Hawkeye's obligation; and (3) whether the defendant's appearance at the August 5, 1994 probation revocation hearing constituted an appearance that would satisfy Hawkeye's obligation.
The court concludes that nothing in the statutes prohibited the extension of the time for issuance of the mittimus. The court further concludes that the court's extension of the time for execution of the judgments did not modify the bail bonds so as to relieve Hawkeye of its liability. In the present case, however, the bond required that the defendant surrender himself in execution of the judgment. This never occurred. Although the defendant was in the presence of the court after the appeal on August 5, 1994, the actual execution of his judgment was not set until November 15, 1994. The defendant did not appear, and the terms of the bond were not fulfilled. The court agrees with the district court that the surety remains liable under these appeal bonds. The decision is affirmed.
State of Iowa v. McFarland, No. 97-1928.
Court of Appeals of Iowa., April 30, 1999.
Philip McFarland and Edward Green claimed to be bounty hunters. In March 1997, they allegedly received a tip that Maurecio Gomez had skipped bail and was staying at a mobile home park in Des Moines . On March 18, 1997, sometime between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m., McFarland and Green arrived at the mobile home of Wendell and Sandy Leach. The Leaches and three of their four children were home. McFarland began pounding on the front door of the Leach mobile home. When Wendell Jr. asked what was going on, McFarland broke the front door open and barged into the home. In the process, the door flew open and Wendell Jr. was knocked against a closet. McFarland said he was a bounty hunter and stated he was "looking for some Mexicans." Sandy and Wendell argued with McFarland about his being in their home. McFarland threatened to "smack" Sandy if she did not "shut up." When McFarland realized Gomez was not connected with the Leaches, he apologized, left the home, and went to the trailer next door. McFarland was charged with second-degree burglary.
At trial, McFarland's request for a jury instruction on a citizen's arrest, which he claimed encapsulated his defense, was denied. McFarland was convicted of second- degree burglary and sentenced to an indeterminate ten-year sentence. McFarland appeals. The court holds the citizen's arrest defense cannot be used as an affirmative defense to burglary or assault when unlawful entry or force is used against an innocent third person, who is neither a felon nor a person interfering with the lawful arrest of a felon. Courts from several other states have held the same. The court finds that for these reasons, the trial court did not err in refusing to give the jury instruction.
State v. Sellers , 258 N.W.2d 292 ( Iowa 1977).
Fact that agent who executed bail bonds was not licensed by the State of Iowa did not preclude insurer from being held liable on the bonds.
10. Bounty Hunter Provisions
"Bail enforcement agent" means a person engaged in the bail enforcement business, including licensees and persons engaged in the bail enforcement business whose principal place of business is in a state other than Iowa . [IC § 3-1-80A.4]
Bail enforcement agents must comply with the following for licensure: [IC § 3-1-80A.1]
Be eighteen years of age or older.
Applicant may not be not a peace officer.
Have never been convicted of a felony or aggravated misdemeanor.
Applicant must not be addicted to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance.
Does not have a history of repeated acts of violence.
Be of good moral character and has not been judged guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude.
Has not been convicted of a crime described in section 708.3 , 708.4, 708.5, 708.6, 708.8, or 708.9
Have not been convicted of illegally using, carrying or possessing a dangerous weapon.
Have not been convicted of fraud.
Submit to fingerprinting and background check
The fee for a two-year license for a bail enforcement business is one hundred dollars.
1. Applicable Statutes
Iowa Code Title 3: Public Services and Regulation, Subtitle 1: Public Safety, Chapter 80A: Private Investigative Agencies and Security Agents
Iowa Code Title 16: Criminal Law and Procedure, Subtitle 2: Criminal Procedure, Chapter 811: Pretrial Release- Bail.
The Regulatory Body is the Department of Public Safety for Bail Enforcement Agents and the Department of Insurance for Bail Agents.
2. Licensing Requirements
Bail agents are licensed as insurance producers in Iowa and must comply with the following for licensure:
Be at least 18 years of age
Not have been convicted of a felony, or found to have committed insurance fraud, unfair trade practices, student loan default or child support default
Take and pass written examination testing knowledge of insurance laws of Iowa
Pay $50 examination fee
Fill out required application forms
Have the character and competence to act as an insurance producer
Not have been denied an insurance producer license in any other state or territory
3. Notice of Forfeiture
If the defendant fails to appear, the court must direct an entry of the failure to be made of record, and the undertaking of the defendant's bail, or the money deposited, is thereupon forfeited.
[IC § 10-2-811.6]
The court shall direct the clerk of the district court of the county to give ten days' notice in writing to the defendant and the defendant's sureties to appear and show cause, if any, why judgment should not be entered for the amount of bail.
If such appearance is not made, judgment shall be entered by the court. If appearance is made, the court shall set the case down for immediate hearing as an ordinary action.
4. Forfeiture to Judgment
The period between forfeiture and judgment is 10 days. [IC § 10-2-811.6]
5. Forfeiture Defenses
While there appear to be no statutory defenses to forfeiture, Iowa case law reflects that forfeiture may be avoided only when a bondsman shows some “reasonable excuse” for failing to produce the defendant. See State v. Costello , 489 N.W.2d 735 ( Iowa , 1992)
6. Remission
Where a forfeiture and judgment have been entered as provided in this section, and the amount of the judgment has been paid to the clerk, the clerk shall hold the same as funds of the clerk's office for a period of sixty days from the date of judgment.
The court may, upon application, set aside such judgment if, within sixty days from the date thereof, the defendant shall voluntarily surrender to the sheriff of the county, or the defendant's sureties shall, at their own expense, deliver the defendant to the custody of the sheriff. Such judgment shall not be set aside, however, unless as a condition precedent thereto, the defendant and the defendant's sureties shall have paid all costs and expenses incurred in connection therewith. [IC § 10-2-811.6]
7. Bail Agent's Arrest Authority
For the purpose of surrendering the defendant, the surety, at any time may arrest the defendant, or, by a written authority endorsed on a certified copy of the undertaking, may empower any person of suitable age and discretion to do so. In making an arrest pursuant to this subsection, the surety or any person empowered by the surety shall possess no more authority than a peace officer would possess in making a lawful arrest under section 804.8, 804.13, 804.14, or 804.15. [IC § 10-2-811.8]
8. Other Noteworthy Provisions
Civil liability of bail enforcement agents. [IC § 3-1-80A.16A]
A person other than a defendant who is injured in person or property by the actions of a bail enforcement agent in taking or attempting to take a defendant into custody may bring a civil action for damages against such agent and the bail enforcement business for breach of any applicable standard of care.
Notwithstanding the limitation of liability of any surety for the actions of a bail enforcement agent or bail enforcement business, the court shall enter a judgment against a bail enforcement agent or bail enforcement business determined to have breached the applicable standard of care. The judgment shall include an award of treble damages, and recovery of costs and reasonable attorney fees.
9. Noteworthy Appellate Decisions
State of Iowa v. Hawkeye Bail Bonds , No. 96-764
Supreme Court of Iowa, June 18, 1997.
Hawkeye Bail Bonds acted as surety on two bonds posted by Juan Jose Rojas- Cardona (the defendant) in two separate appeals from criminal convictions. After the convictions were affirmed on appeal, the defendant requested and obtained delays in the issuance of the mittimus in each case. When the extended time expired and the defendant did not appear, the court forfeited his bonds. The surety appealed.
Hawkeye raises three issues on appeal: (1) whether the court's delays in the issuance of the mittimus were illegal, thus relieving the surety of its obligation; (2) whether extending the mittimus improperly modified Hawkeye's obligation; and (3) whether the defendant's appearance at the August 5, 1994 probation revocation hearing constituted an appearance that would satisfy Hawkeye's obligation.
The court concludes that nothing in the statutes prohibited the extension of the time for issuance of the mittimus. The court further concludes that the court's extension of the time for execution of the judgments did not modify the bail bonds so as to relieve Hawkeye of its liability. In the present case, however, the bond required that the defendant surrender himself in execution of the judgment. This never occurred. Although the defendant was in the presence of the court after the appeal on August 5, 1994, the actual execution of his judgment was not set until November 15, 1994. The defendant did not appear, and the terms of the bond were not fulfilled. The court agrees with the district court that the surety remains liable under these appeal bonds. The decision is affirmed.
State of Iowa v. McFarland, No. 97-1928.
Court of Appeals of Iowa., April 30, 1999.
Philip McFarland and Edward Green claimed to be bounty hunters. In March 1997, they allegedly received a tip that Maurecio Gomez had skipped bail and was staying at a mobile home park in Des Moines . On March 18, 1997, sometime between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m., McFarland and Green arrived at the mobile home of Wendell and Sandy Leach. The Leaches and three of their four children were home. McFarland began pounding on the front door of the Leach mobile home. When Wendell Jr. asked what was going on, McFarland broke the front door open and barged into the home. In the process, the door flew open and Wendell Jr. was knocked against a closet. McFarland said he was a bounty hunter and stated he was "looking for some Mexicans." Sandy and Wendell argued with McFarland about his being in their home. McFarland threatened to "smack" Sandy if she did not "shut up." When McFarland realized Gomez was not connected with the Leaches, he apologized, left the home, and went to the trailer next door. McFarland was charged with second-degree burglary.
At trial, McFarland's request for a jury instruction on a citizen's arrest, which he claimed encapsulated his defense, was denied. McFarland was convicted of second- degree burglary and sentenced to an indeterminate ten-year sentence. McFarland appeals. The court holds the citizen's arrest defense cannot be used as an affirmative defense to burglary or assault when unlawful entry or force is used against an innocent third person, who is neither a felon nor a person interfering with the lawful arrest of a felon. Courts from several other states have held the same. The court finds that for these reasons, the trial court did not err in refusing to give the jury instruction.
State v. Sellers , 258 N.W.2d 292 ( Iowa 1977).
Fact that agent who executed bail bonds was not licensed by the State of Iowa did not preclude insurer from being held liable on the bonds.
10. Bounty Hunter Provisions
"Bail enforcement agent" means a person engaged in the bail enforcement business, including licensees and persons engaged in the bail enforcement business whose principal place of business is in a state other than Iowa . [IC § 3-1-80A.4]
Bail enforcement agents must comply with the following for licensure: [IC § 3-1-80A.1]
Be eighteen years of age or older.
Applicant may not be not a peace officer.
Have never been convicted of a felony or aggravated misdemeanor.
Applicant must not be addicted to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance.
Does not have a history of repeated acts of violence.
Be of good moral character and has not been judged guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude.
Has not been convicted of a crime described in section 708.3 , 708.4, 708.5, 708.6, 708.8, or 708.9
Have not been convicted of illegally using, carrying or possessing a dangerous weapon.
Have not been convicted of fraud.
Submit to fingerprinting and background check
The fee for a two-year license for a bail enforcement business is one hundred dollars.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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