What kind of person would rough up a swan? Well, this kind of person, as reported by myfoxorlando.com:
A man is behind bars after police say he roughed up a swan. John Wynne is accused of grabbing a swan by the neck from Lake Eola. Orlando Police arrested him for animal cruelty and grand theft. He is being held in the Orange County Jail on $1,000.00 bond.
Totally uncool.
Just to be clear, we’re talking about using chalk to write on the sidewalk. In Orlando, that can land you in jail. Really. Just ask Timothy Osmar. As reported by The Orlando Sentinel:
Just before Christmas, OPD [Orlando Police Department] arrested 25-year-old Timothy Osmar for “writing or painting advertising matter on streets or sidewalks”
The criminal “advertising” in question? Slogans like “Justice Equals Liberty.”
Advertisting? Really? UFB, as is this …
As of Friday, Osmar was still in jail ..
Through Christmas and New Year’s! Mayor Dyer?
Dyer’s office was unapologetic, saying city codes clearly outlaw chalk writing.
Please, tell me this guy isn’t a lawyer. You can read more (a fair amount) here.
Hmmm. The Juice was working on this post and thought this name sounded familiar, so he checked the archives of 1,854 Legal Juice posts and found this one about Judge Willie F. Singletary. The story on philly.com was now not so surprising.
The state Supreme Court yesterday canned Philadelphia Traffic Court Judge Willie F. Singletary, suspending him without pay after he allegedly showed a woman cellphone pictures of his genitalia two weeks ago.
Yikes.
But this isn’t the first time Singletary has made headlines. In 2007 his driver’s license was suspended for unpaid tickets [a BOATLOAD of them – see Juice post above], and two years later he was reprimanded for promising favors in exchange for campaign donations.
That’s quite a record in just the past 5 years.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ordered that Singletary be “relieved of any and all judicial and administrative responsibilities as a judge of the Philadelphia Traffic Court.”
Might consider another line of work.
Is it just me, or does “Friday” evoke positive thoughts for you too? For most folks, it’s the end of the work week, and the beginning of the weekend. Well sir, an Italian court took a different view of “Friday.” As reported by the BBC News:
Italy’s top court has banned a couple from naming their son Venerdi (Friday), saying such a “ridiculous” name could expose the boy to mockery.
That’s not all, though.
The judges also ordered that the boy be renamed Gregorio – after the saint’s day on which he was born.
What the hell is going on in Italy? Do you think the parent should appeal? This was the appeal!
The Cassation Court upheld earlier rulings by lower courts that Friday was too reminiscent of the name of Robinson Crusoe’s native servant in the classic shipwreck novel.
And what’s up with my Italian brethren?
Gian Ettore Gassani of the Italian Association of Matrimonial Lawyers backed the ruling.
Not cool. Here’s the source.
Of all the reasons to fire somebody, this has got to be among the most idiotic. As reported by China Daily:
Two women have been fired from their jobs for refusing to drink at a company party.
No doubt they would have been fired had they gotten shitfaced. Maybe each employee should get a breathalyzer, along with guidelines for the acceptable BAC range…
He, an executive manager of an auto parts company in Hanyang, and her assistant refused to drink alcohol when their boss made a toast at their company’s New Year party.
They were fired the next day on grounds of incompetence.
“This is not fair at all,” He, who joined the company just a month back, fumed after receiving her termination letter.
Actually, Dayton, Ohio resident Tony Henderson only thought the woman he propositioned was a prostitute. Unfortunately for him, she was a police officer. So what happened that fateful night in April 2006? As reported by the Court of Appeals of Ohio, Dayton Police officer Dyan Briggs was working as a prostitution decoy. She testified that
Mr. Henderson asked me if I was working, to which I replied I was. Mr. Henderson then stated, come on, and motions for me to follow him back across the street … And I said what do you want. And he said I want to make love. And I said, okay, you want to have sex. What do I get. He said what do you get. I said, yeah, what do I get.
A fair question, but it raised a red flag for Mr. Henderson.
“He’s like man, you sound like a cop. [Walk away, dude. Walk away.] I was like I’m not a cop. And he’s like, well, I got some candy. [Doh!] And I said you have candy. And he said, yeah, I got candy. And I said what kind of candy do you have. He said bubble gum. I said what flavor. He said bubble gum. I said is it grape or what. And he said it’s strawberry. I said is it sugarless.
Mr. Henderson apparently grew tired of the chit-chat.
“And he’s like, fuck you. And I said, you offered me candy. And at that point Detective St. Clair drove up in his car and I believe he placed Mr. Henderson in a set of handcuffs.”
Snap! Busted for soliciting a prostitute by offering a stick of gum! Fast forward: Mr. Henderson is before a Judge, and arresting officer Raymond St. Clair testifies:
I asked Mr. Henderson why he asked her, being Officer Briggs, for sex, and Mr. Henderson replied because she’s a whore. And I asked why did you offer her bubble gum for sex, and Mr. Henderson replied because I have no money.”
Click here to find out the judge’s decision.
Have you ever heard of an ice cream truck driver – while parked – getting hurt on the job? Well, you’re about to. And it’s a strange one. As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune:
A Taylorsville woman is accused of spraying an industrial-strength cleaning solution in the eyes of an ice cream truck driver because she thought the treats were too expensive.
The Juice doesn’t even know where to begin with this one.
The driver’s “eyes burned,” and she was hospitalized after the Aug. 7 confrontation at an apartment complex near 700 West Mackinac Drive, police wrote in charges filed Monday.
According to court documents, the suspect approached the driver and ordered her to leave. When the driver did not leave, the woman sprayed the truck’s windows then sprayed the driver multiple times in the face with Mean Green cleaner, police wrote.
Clearly this is a woman with major issues.
The woman later told police she sprayed the ice cream truck driver because “she charges too much for ice cream,” investigators wrote. When the officer arrested her, she tried to pull away and threatened him, saying she would “sock [the officer] in the face” and “kick [the officer] in the balls,” police wrote.
So, instead of paying an extra, say, dollar, she’s looking at charges of … “assault, assault against a peace officer, interference with an arresting officer and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.” Brilliant! Here’s the source.
It’s not like Ms. McCollister (of Garnerville, Nevada) just gave her son the keys and said “drive.” She had him sit on her lap! How drunk was she? .299! To put that in context, having simply read a BAC that high, you should be buzzed. How did Ms. McCollister get to this point? As reported by The Record-Courier:
McCollister told District Judge Dave Gamble on Tuesday that she had been drinking all that weekend. She said she invited an acquaintance to stay at her home because she was in the process of obtaining a temporary restraining order against her husband and she was afraid to be alone.
“He (the houseguest) kept pressuring me to take him home. He drove himself home, and we were in the car. I was pretty much passed out all the way. He pulled into his driveway and just left us there. There was another lady with us, but she didn’t have her glasses, so she refused to drive. I had my son get on my lap and drive us,” McCollister said.
Other than lying, there may be nothing judges despise more than the failure to accept responsibility for your actions. Judge Gamble is no exception:
“You just gave me the identities of three or four people whose fault this was, and none of it was yours,” Gamble said. “As long as you think this was anyone else’s fault but yours, I have no reason to show any leniency toward you, and you’ll get no good out of this.
“All that conspired from your perspective to force you to commit felony child abuse. That’s nonsense,” Gamble said. “Next time you’re in here, I hope I don’t hear a pocketful of excuses for the absolute evilness and irrationality of putting your son on your lap while you’re drunk and driving you home.”
And if you’re wondering how she got caught, not surprisingly, it turns out a 12-year-old drives a lot like a drunkard.
She was arrested Oct. 17 near the intersection of El Dorado Drive and Village Way in Gardnerville after a Douglas County reserve deputy reported seeing a brown Buick headed north on Highway 395 weaving in and out of the travel lane and varying its speed.
The witness said he passed the vehicle and saw a child in the driver’s seat. According to the sheriff’s report, he and a deputy contacted McCollister after the vehicle stopped near her residence.
So what is she looking at? … up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine at her Dec. 14 sentencing [after pleading guilty to attempted child abuse or neglect]. And if the situation wasn’t bad enough …
A woman and a 7-year-old child also were in the vehicle.
And …
McCollister is to appear Jan. 5 in East Fork Justice Court for sentencing on a second conviction of driving under the influence to which she plead guilty Oct. 20.
It’s not that The Juice is unsympathetic to this woman’s problem with alcohol. It’s just that there is no excuse for putting the lives of your child and others in jeopardy. Here’s the source, including a photo.
Yup. A 30-year-old Toronto man was riding the bus. After making eye contact with the man next to him, the friendly guy said “hello.” This was too much for the unfriendly guy, who, as reported in The National Post, then asked
Why do you say hello to me? I don’t know you.
Um, er, okay. Nevermind. No such luck for the friendly guy.
The victim apologized on the bus, and again when they got off, but the man pulled out a knife and stabbed him. The victim was taken to hospital and received numerous stitches.
Friendly guy is doing alright. Unfriendly guy remains at large.
Is this guy the worst son of the year? If he’s not, he’s certainly a nominee, The Juice thinks you’ll agree. As reported by wtsp.com:
A concerned neighbor called deputies to the home of Sandra Newkirk and her 45-year-old son Ramey, after Sandra allegedly told the neighbor her son had beaten her.
Responding deputies say they found Sandra’s face bruised, but the 65-year-old woman was reluctant to tell investigators what happened, because she claimed her son had threatened to kill her if she told.
Meanwhile Ramey Newkirk claimed his mother got her injuries in a robbery on her porch a week earlier and never reported it because she “did not want to be bothered with it.”
Are you sure she didn’t fall down the stairs? Walk into a door?
Deputies continued speaking with Sandra, who eventually told them her son did indeed hit her with a glass eggnog bottle about a week earlier. She also claimed Ramey hit her in the head with a metal oxygen tank and was struck several times with a stun gun.
Damn! A bottle, a metal tank, and a stun gun? You’re probably wondering why a son would do this to his mama.
After being given his Miranda warning, deputies say he admitted to hitting his mother with a glass bottle. Ramey allegedly said he blacked out and was not sure why he did it.
Guess you’ll have to keep wondering. The charges:
Newkirk was arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 years of age or older. He also faces charges of tampering with a witness and grand theft.
Here’s the source, including a mug shot of Mr. Newkirk.
Legal Juice