Legal Juice

This is a strange one. See if you make the same call the jury did. Here’s the scene, as described in The Oregonian:

The petite 24-year-old Beaverton woman got out of the shower wrapped in a towel, stopped to watch a couple minutes of TV and then sat down on her bed.

While putting lotion on her legs, she realized a man was standing in her closet, staring at her with bright blue eyes. He was wearing a lacy negligee with fishnet stockings open at the crotch, a woman’s miniskirt, sheer white blouse and long, brown wig.

Then she screamed twice, ran to another room and called police. The man fled without saying a word …

The man in the closet was Eric Triton Kincaid, age 29. How did the police catch him? By tracing the DNA on the meth pipe he left in the woman’s closet. Mr. Kincaid was charged with first-degree burglary, attempted first-degree sexual abuse, and invasion of personal privacy. His defense?

He was high on methamphetamine, he said [to the jury], and went to the Beaverton apartment complex on March 3, 2007 because he was invited to have sex by a woman he barely knew. But when he saw the woman sitting on the bed half naked, he realized she was the wrong woman and that he was in the wrong apartment. Basically, he was as surprised as she was, he said.

Okay, how did he end up in that apartment?

Kincaid said the woman he was going to meet was staying with friends and gave him directions that neither of them were too sure about. He arrived at what he thought was the right apartment, and when he turned the doorknob, it opened.

Think the prosecutor is buying that explanation? Me either.

The prosecutor told jurors it was more likely that Kincaid tried every basement apartment door until he found one that was unlocked. Investigators couldn’t find the mysterious friend Kincaid knew only as “Kate.”

Ladies and gentleman of the jury, what do you think?

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Hey, The Juice is all for giving someone the benefit of the doubt, if it’s a close call, and there’s no history. You make the call on this one. Per the Palm Beach Post:

The Judicial Qualifications Commission filed formal charges against [Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Howard] Berman in December 2000. Three women – two probation officers and a former public defender – accused him of groping, inquiring about their underwear and asking for sex. He threatened to “bury” one if she told. Three additional women stepped forward with similar stories.

Laura Johnson, now a county court judge, reported that when she and Berman were prosecutors, he invited her to his home to help with some cases. Johnson told investigators Berman disappeared into his bedroom, then returned carrying cocktails – and wearing only a maid’s apron.

Wow. So what did Judge Berman do? He stepped down three days before the judicial commission hearing.

Fast forward a few years. In 2005, Berman was hired as an assistant state attorney, where he was apparently doing okay, until recently. According to recently released personnel records,

Berman … was suspended without pay for 10 days after asking a secretary, “Wanna be naughty?”

Mr. Berman’s defense?

In his written response to the allegations, he said he was merely admiring the woman’s engagement ring and said, “It’s not too gaudy.”

So was it “gaudy” or “naughty?” Not a tough call. So on top of the 10-day suspension,

Berman was ordered to avoid contact with the woman, who was not identified. He was further warned that if any similar complaints were lodged, he would be fired, according to the disciplinary report signed by Chief Assistant State Attorney Paul Zacks.

Here’s hoping the maid’s apron doesn’t make another surprise appearance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLwNNC2Ckco

Mess with this lady’s kid, and you may be looking at the back of her hand – coming at your face. As seen above, as reported by nbcmiami.com:

A Broward County mother is accused of being a school bus bully after she took justice into her own hands and confronted a child who hit her kid.

Toccara Daniels, 27, was arrested Tuesday and charged with burglary with assault or battery and child abuse without great harm.

Police say Daniels became irate when her young daughter told her another kid had hit him. The children are ages 6 and 7.

“Irate” about sums it up.

Daniels knocked on the bus door and the driver opened it, telling her she wasn’t allowed on, but she ignored the driver.

As evident in the video, the mad momma charged onto the school bus, had her daughter point out the boy who hit her. She then smacked the kid in the mouth with the back of her hand and told him, “don’t touch my child.”

As she she walked back to the front of the bus, the bus driver is heard telling her that she isn’t allowed on the bus, to which she replied, “I don’t give a f[uc]k.” The driver closed the bus doors and initially wouldn’t let her out.

As you might imagine, she wasn’t pleased, but she regrouped…

“Let me off this f[uck]in’ bus,” she can be heard saying. Eventually, she changes her tone, apologizes and the driver lets her off.

Click here for the source.