Legal Juice

You're up in a police helicopter, looking down at 3 plants on a guy's deck. Can you really identify them as marijuana? Really? That's what they're saying, as reported by The Times at nj.com:

Peter R. Taylor, 23, was allegedly growing the marijuana on the back deck of his home on the 100 block of Coachman Drive. The plants were spotted by the state police Marijuana Eradication Unit during a helicopter flight yesterday, officials said.

“He saw the helicopter and attempted to pull the plants and destroy them,” said Sgt. Gregory Williams, a State Police spokesman.

Florence police and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office had received confidential information about the marijuana growing at Taylor’s house and initiated the joint investigation with the state police, officials said.

"Joint" investigation! Get it?

Law enforcement officers on the ground arrested him immediately after the team in the helicopter saw the plants, police said.

A search of the home revealed just over six ounces of processed marijuana valued at $1,800, Williams said. The three plants have a combined value of $6,000, according to the state police.

If they had information from a confidential informant, why not just get a search warrant? Why the flyover?

Taylor was charged with possession of marijuana, manufacturing drugs, and hindering apprehension by destroying evidence, Florence police said.

He was released after posting $25,000 full cash bail.

Here's the source.

In Newport News, Virginia, and some other fun-loving locales across the country, it is illegal for anyone over the age of eleven to trick or treat! This is truly one of the dumbest laws The Juice has encountered (and that's saying something). Here's the law:

Sec. 28-5. - Prohibited trick or treat activities.

(a) If any person beyond the seventh grade of school or over twelve (12) years of age shall engage in the activity commonly known as "trick or treat" or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever, such person shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting any parent, guardian or other responsible person having lawfully in his custody a child twelve (12) years old or younger, from accompanying such child who is playing "trick or treat" for the purpose of caring for, looking after or protecting such child. However, no accompanying parent or guardian shall wear a mask of any type.

(b) If any person shall engage in playing "trick or treat" or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever after 8:00 p.m., such person shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.

Here's a link to the City of Newport News Code of Ordinances (see Chapter 28, Sec. 28-5).

Defendant Howard Freeman sent two letters to the Judge. On both of them the letterhead reads:

The Committee to Save the Judges From Hanging Even Though They Deserve It.

At the bottom of the stationery the following appears:

The Bible and history tell us that an oppressed people have never once regained their freedom until they had hung the `judges' and stoned the tax collectors to death; it is the fervent wish of the Committee that we can reason with the `judges' to quit interfering with our common law protections. Then we will have only the tax collectors to deal with. Redloh 2:25.

Shabang! And just what was Mr. Freeman convicted of - a conviction that he appealed to the Supreme Court of Wyoming? Driving the wrong way on a one-way street! Mr. Freeman claimed that the citation was defective, and that the law under which he was charged is unconstitutional.

Loser, on each claim! The Wyoming Supremes were not amused, nor were they put off by the threatening letters. Of the letters, the Court stated:

While these warnings are dire, it well may be that cases such as the one before us constitute a far more severe punishment. Our rules of appellate practice were designed, at least in part, to protect judges from such consequences.

And that was the final word in Freeman v. Town of Lusk, 717 P.2d 331 (WY 1986).

Maybe this lady has legitimate beefs with her boyfriend. But the way she chose to deal with the situation, well, it bites. As reported by the Northwest Florida Daily News:

On Aug. 17 an Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy was called to a Colonial Drive apartment after learning of a domestic dispute.

The victim, who has lived with the woman for about six months, said she began yelling at him because she thought he was looking at other women, and was ignoring her to play video games. She became so angry she started throwing things around the house.

He said she charged him, and he grabbed her wrists to protect himself from her. "The defendent then leaned in and bit the victim on the left side of his chest near his arm pit," the deputy wrote in the arrest report.

Ouch! While it probably wasn't "a pound of flesh," no doubt the vic would say it was plenty.

She was charged with misdemeanor battery. Her court date is Sept. 4.

Here's the source.

Has 7-Eleven gone upscale lately? If not, then what on earth did this man buy? As reported by The Burlington County Times (Pennsylvania):

Police are searching for a man who bought more than $1,600 worth of items from 7-Eleven with stolen credit cards.

The man went to the convenience store on Route 73 shortly after 5 a.m. Friday and used the cards to buy $1,633 worth of merchandise, police said Tuesday.

The man’s image was captured by video surveillance equipment at the store. At the time, he was wearing a red Nike baseball cap, white T-shirt, blue jeans, and red and white sneakers. (See above.)

Here's the source.

Judges say the darndest things. Take the case of the Honorable Gary W. Velie, a Superior Court judge in Clallam County, Washington. Back in 1988, in response to a complaint, he admitted "the use of racist and sexist language and embarrassing jokes." Not only was he not reprimanded, the complaint was dismissed "based upon [his] willingness to take corrective action." But ... sometime the next year ... per The Commission on Judicial Conduct of the State of Washington,

[Judge Velie] made a remark to attorney John Doherty in open court and in front of court report Penny Wolfe and clerk Tammy Woolridge that he [Doherty] looked like he had been "jacking off a bobcat in a phone booth." [The Juice is trying to imagine that level of dishevelment.]

In 1990, during the armed conflict between the United States and Iraq, [Judge Velie] remarked: "Nuke the sand niggers" in reference to [his] solution to the Mid-East crisis. The comment was made in the presence of others in the clerk's office coffee room in the courthouse.

While viewing a property in the course of his duties, with two attorneys in his car, Judge Velie "stated that 'Johnny,' a defendant in an old case, "had gone crazy from sucking too many cocks."

And there were a few others, like the time where he said, in open court, that he knows there are not many starving people. It's just that "there's a lot of them too stupid to cook what they are given... In other words, if you don't give them a Kraft dinner with the instructions written on the box, you give them other normal food, they don't know how to cook it."

So, what do you think happened this time? Suspension?

Continue reading "Judge Said What?" »

It's just a bad idea to leave your car unlocked, period. It's an even worse idea to leave your car unlocked with dangerous items in it. As reported by TCPalm.com:

A 48-year-old man told Port St. Lucie police Tuesday he discovered his throwing knife, sheath, .40 caliber pistol and magazines missing from his 2003 Toyota Corolla, according to a police report released Wednesday.

He said he left his vehicle Monday in the driveway of his home in the 2700 block of Southwest District Avenue. The vehicle, he told police, was not locked.

Unlocked!

As he walked up to his house after noticing the items missing, he saw a plastic bag with writing. The writing stated, “LOADED GUN Unlocked Car = STUPID!!” The bag’s other side read, “LOTS OF Children in area.”

The man saw his handgun and knife were inside, though 30 cartridges were missing.

Master Sgt. Frank Sabol, police spokesman, said Wednesday the person responsible could face charges including armed burglary and theft.

Good luck getting a conviction on that one. Here's the source, which includes photos of the bag and its messages.

When you think of road rage, you think about aggressive driving, or maybe even someone pulling a weapon, right? But this? You would not think of this. Ever. Per BeeNews.com (New York):

Police responded to a road rage incident on Union Road. Reportedly, two motorists were spitting on each other after following each other around town.

The Juice can think of worse ways to settle disputes.

When you think of road rage, you think about aggressive driving, or maybe even someone pulling a weapon, right? But this? You would not think of this. Ever. Per BeeNews.com (New York):

Police responded to a road rage incident on Union Road. Reportedly, two motorists were spitting on each other after following each other around town.

The Juice can think of worse ways to settle disputes.

There comes a time in every thief's life ... Okay, so a lot of thieves won't just come clean. But seriously dude - cut a deal. Next time you'll turn the iPad off, or at least its location services. As reported by The Canberra Times (Australia):

A court has been asked to decide whether a man trying to find his allegedly stolen iPad was acting unlawfully when he tracked it down to a north Canberra townhouse using Apple's anti-theft app and a GPS.

Police, acting on the man's information, allegedly discovered the iPad and a cache of stolen items at the Forde house where 49-year-old Alden Harder lived.

Don't draw any comparisons to "the decider," but The Juice would not even take this under advisement. What's the "lame defense" referenced in the post's title?

Mr Harder's lawyer has argued the man physically trespassed on his client's property while searching for the iPad and had also committed ''trespass via radio wave'' when he activated an alarm on the device while it was inside Mr Harder's house.

Mr Harder has not been charged with any offence.

Yet.

On Monday, police applied to the ACT Magistrates Court for a forensic procedures order, asking for the man to submit to fingerprinting.

Mr Harder is fighting the order.

Police allege the iPad was stolen from a house that was under construction in Braddon on May 24 but the theft wasn't reported until three days later.

They say the owner used Apple's in-built Find My iPad service and his GPS to track down the iPad to Mr Harder's townhouse in Forde on May 25. He walked around the property and looked in a window.

Find My iPad allows users to remotely track their missing or stolen iPad via GPS and to send messages, trigger an alarm or wipe their device.

It should be noted that THIS DOES NOT WORK IF THE LOCATION SERVICES ARE DISABLED OR THE DEVICE IS OFF.

The man went to police with the information but was apparently unable to elicit action.

The court heard the man went back to the townhouse a second time on May 29 and used the app to remotely trigger the alarm on the iPad, which he then heard ringing inside the garage.

Police then obtained a search warrant for Mr Harder's house.

They allegedly discovered the iPad and a haul of other items, including laptops and a police officer's badge, which were said to have been stolen from as far back as 2009.

Jackpot!

The court heard police wanted to take Mr Harder's fingerprints to see if they matched prints taken from the scene of the iPad theft and another burglary.

But Mr Harder's lawyer Paul Edmonds argued the search was based on evidence which was obtained unlawfully because the man trespassed on his client's property while walking round the townhouse.

Blah, blah, blah. The Juice is with the prosecutor on this one.

But prosecutor Keegan Lee dismissed that argument as ''an absurd expansion of the definition of a trespass''.

Mr Lee said if electronic transmission were a trespass then ''I would safely say nearly everybody in this courtroom has committed that act by having a wireless router'' that transmitted Wi-Fi internet through their homes and into their neighbours' property.

Boom! Here's the source.

Is it really a "car chase" if the suspect isn't speeding, but just refuses to pull over? While you're pondering that, here's the story, as reported by the Northwest Florida Daily News:

On Aug. 9 the deputy saw a Mitsubishi traveling south on Beal Parkway with no tag light. He activated his overhead lights at Lincoln Drive and Shady Lane.

The driver failed to stop and continued down Lincoln Drive to Auburn Road. He then turned left on Auburn, traveling south, and then turned right onto Riverside, then right onto Maine Avenue. He pulled into a driveway and parked the Mitsubishi.

The officer noted the man, identified as Matthew Allen Birr of Fort Walton Beach, traveled 4/10ths of a mile from the point where the deputy activated his lights to where he stopped.

Okay buddy - what gives?

Birr told the deputy he didn't want to stop because he was afraid he'd get a DUI. The deputy noted his speed never exceeded 30 mph.

Like most problems that you ignore, this one didn't go away.

He was charged with felony fleeing and eluding. His court date was Sept. 9.

No DUI! Doh! Here's the source.

Hey, if you don't like the service, tip accordingly. These three ladies, dining at a Red Lobster in Fairview Heights, Illinois, decided on a different approach. Big mistake. As reported by The Bellevue News-Democrat:

Three Red Lobster customers were charged Saturday in connection with aggravated battery at the Fairview Heights restaurant.

The three women, all from Belleville, were accused of throwing water on an employee Friday and striking her several times with their hands and a menu, according to Detective Tim Mueller with the Fairview Heights Police Department.

A waitress beat down? Not cool at all, ladies.

The following suspects each were charged with mob action and aggravated battery in a public place: Sharrell A. Evans, 21, of 5819 Bret Michael Drive;Britley L. Green, 22, of 7003 Gary Drive; and Geneen L. Green, 44, of 7003 Gary Drive.

Bail for each suspect was set at $50,000. They remain in custody at the Fairview Heights Police Department until arraignment.

As for the "why?"

Police have not been determined what prompted the dispute.

Here's the source that, sadly, has no mug shots.

Girls wanted to get their manicure on. Totally fine. Not paying for it, and worse? (you'll have to read below) - totally uncool. As reported by The Orlando Sentinel

Ty Nguyen called police around 2:45 p.m. Thursday after the three teens ran from MD Nails on Claracona Ocoee Road after having their nails done. The girls arrived at the nail salon and asked to have sets of acrylic nails applied, Nguyen told the Orlando Sentinel.

When the $60 manicures were finished, the teens — a 15-year-old and two 17-year-olds who the Sentinel is not naming because they are minors — refused to pay, according to police.

Not cool, but check this out:

Nguyen said he chased after the teens and that's when the 15-year-old girl pulled out a pink Taser and shocked him.

Since they weren't named, you've probably figured out that these little ladies got busted. How?

Nguyen, who photographed the teens as they ran and even as one pulled out the Taser, jumped in his car, followed them to a nearby apartment complex and called 911 to report the attack and the $180 theft.

A property manager at the Waterstone Apartments, in the 5200 block of Long Road, was shown a picture of the three girls and immediately recognized them. Officers were shown the apartment where at least one teen lived.

You do NOT mess with Mr. Nguyen!

As officers approached the unit they hear what sounded like "several juveniles yelling," reports show. But when officers knocked on the door and announced their presence, the noise stopped.

The teens refused to open the door for at least 20 minutes when an adult resident arrived at the home with a key. Officers found the three teen suspects and several other juveniles inside the apartment, reports show.

Think they came clean?

The 15-year-old told officers she "did not pay for her manicure because someone else was supposed to pay," and shouted, "I didn't tase anyone!" reports show.

Officers arrested the trio and charged them with aggravated battery with a weapon, resisting a merchant and petty theft. They were booked into the Juvenile Assessment Center and the Taser was confiscated.

You had the Taser! Aaargh. Here's the source.

How can you entice men to go to something, like say, church? In a word - strippers. There's some crazy stuff going on in Warsaw, Ohio... From The Columbus Dispatch:

Every weekend for the last four years, [Pastor Bill] Dunfee and members of his ministry have stood watch over [strip-club owner Tommy] George's joint, taking up residence in the right of way with signs, video cameras and bullhorns in hand. They videotape customers' license plates and post them online, and they try to save the souls of anyone who comes and goes.

Can they do that?

George ... sued the church in federal court several years ago, claiming a violation of his constitutional rights, but he lost.

Okay, Plan B ....

Now, the dancers have turned the tables, so to speak. Fed up with the tactics of Dunfee and his flock, they say they have finally accepted his constant invitation to come to church.

It's just that they've come wearing see-through shorts and toting Super Soakers.

They bring lawn chairs and - yesterday, anyway - grilled hamburgers, Monster energy drinks and corn on the cob.

How do the parties view this battle of wills?

[Dunfee] said their presence has united his church members and reinvigorated their mission to shut down the club.

"They have now seen the evil firsthand," Dunfee said. "This has just made us stronger."

George laughed at that notion.

"They're just mad," he said, "because their wives won't let them come to my club."

You can read a lot more about the dueling protests (and see photos) here.

So maybe it's not 100% certain that he was drinking with the monkeys, but he let them out of their cages, he was drunk, and ... as reported by The August Chronicle (Georgia):

According to a GHSU Police Bureau incident report, a co-worker discovered Coley Mitchell, 32, partially unclothed in the Laboratory Animal Services technician locker room at the Sanders Research and Education Building about 10:30 p.m. Monday.

Yikes!

Campus police said Mitchell, a Lab Animal Services technician, was highly intoxicated and sitting in a chair with his pants half-down.

Partially clothed, highly intoxicated - what about the monkeys?

The spokeswoman said two monkeys were found outside their cages in the lab but were confined to the room. There is no indication the monkeys had been harmed.

Whew.

Police said Mitchell became combative and uncooperative with officers while being escorted from the locker room.

He was booked into the Richmond County jail Monday on charges of public intoxication.

A spokeswoman said Mitchell was still employed by Georgia Health Sciences University on Friday.

That'll probably change. Here's the source, including a mug shot.

There are some records you just don't want to set. It looks like this Iowan may hold this record for a while. As reported by the Iowa City, Iowa Patch:

Justin A. Clark, 24, of North Liberty, was arrested July 29 after North Liberty police received reports of a driver colliding with curbs and attempting to rev up his engine.

Clark was sitting in the driver’s seat and was unable to answer any of the officer’s questions, police said. He also was unable to get out of the vehicle, walk or perform field sobriety tests, police said.

Police said when they asked Clark where he thought he was, he said he was at home, and when they asked him what day it was, he replied, “Three, but now it is four.”

See where this is headed?

Initially, tests showed his blood alcohol level at .486. When tested at the hospital later, Clark's alcohol content level in his blood was rated at twice the lethal amount of .3, and almost eight times the legal drinking and driving limit. At that time it was .627.

Shazam!

Michael Takacs, clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine and an emergency room doctor at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, said 0.627 percent is higher than any level he’s seen during his eight years in the field.

“That’s astronomically high, and the highest I’ve ever heard of,” Takacs said. “For even the most seasoned alcoholic, 0.627 would be a lethal dose possibly.”

Officials in several branches of law enforcement, health care and the county prosecutor are among those who say it is the highest blood alcohol level they've ever seen.

Like The Juice said, it's not a record you want to set. Here's the source, which includes a mug shot.

Being forgetful is not a crime ... or, is it? It depends on the nature of the forgetfulness. In this case, it's a definite "yes." As reported by tcpalm.com (Florida):

The crying of a 3-year-old boy sitting alone in a store aisle at night finally attracted a clerk's attention.

Yup.

The toddler was so upset, he could only ask "where was his mommy," according to a police report. He couldn't remember his mother's last name and a call over the store's public address system drew no response. A search outside the Deal's Dollar Tree, in the 400 block of Georgia Avenue, also was unsuccessful.

Finally an hour later, at 9:44 p.m. Tuesday, a gold-colored minivan drove up with the mother and grandmother as police were at the store. The mother "seemed confused when approached about the whereabouts of her child," according to the police report. "She said she thought he was in the vehicle at the time she left the store.

HOW CAN YOU FORGET YOUR CHILD? FOR AN HOUR?

"But [she] couldn't find him when they got home," the report states.

BECAUSE YOU LEFT HIM IN THE STORE!

Yet no one called 911, police said, and she allegedly couldn't explain hourlong absence.

The child was turned over to the grandmother. The mother, Philleana Peak, 30, of 1200 block of Wyoming Drive, Fort Pierce, was arrested on charges of child neglect and possession of marijuana. She was in the St. Lucie County Jail in lieu of a $6,250 bail.

Now it's starting to make sense. Here's the source.

It's been a long, hot summer. People everywhere are routinely disrobing and ... wait, they're not? As reported by lancasteronline.com:

A naked couple showed up in a hotel lobby in Manheim Township early Sunday.

Huh?

The couple jumped a hotel's fence to swim in its pool and then showed up in its lobby — clothing-free — looking for snacks, police said.

Now it makes sense?

Manheim Township Police filed open lewdness [retail theft, and defiant trespassing] charges against Joshua D. Wimer, 19, of Colonial Drive, Akron, and Arielle M. Strosser, 19, of Kingsgate Drive, after the incident.

Police said the naked couple tried to take items from a snack area in the lobby of the Fairfield Inn, 250 Granite Run Drive, at about 4:30 a.m., after swimming in the pool there.

A couple 19-year-olds at 4:30 a.m. - now it makes much more sense. Here's the source.

Even if you thought this would allow you to avoid a DUI, you probably wouldn't do it ... unless, maybe, you were drunk? As reported by kpel965.com (Lafayette, Louisiana):

Police Chief Scott Silverii says 53-year-old Wayne Benoit was pulled over Tuesday afternoon after police saw his truck swerving down the road, at one point almost hitting someone riding a bicycle.

Almost hit a bicycle? Now The Juice is really pissed!

Silverii says Benoit reeked of alcohol, and he failed a sobriety test. Once it became apparent police were going to slap handcuffs on him, that’s when Benoit’s mind went into creative overdrive, Silverii says.

And ... "Action!"

“Officers said that Benoit began straining really hard,” Silverii says. “Eventually, the straining gave way to Benoit purposely defecating himself.”

Apparently, Benoit thought he would be released after “his little episode,” Silverii says. But no, police arrested him anyway, and he was booked into the Lafourche Parish Detention Center.

Benoit had a blood alcohol content level of 0.20 percent.

Yikes. Here's the source, with a mug shot.

Of all the places to park your car, this is among the worst choice you could make. As reported by NorthCountryNow.com (New York):

A Potsdam man was arrested for driving while drugged early Saturday after state police discovered him allegedly sleeping while behind the wheel.

Francis T. Green, 34, of 81B Pumpkin Hill Rd., Potsdam, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs after police found him sleeping in his white 1992 Subaru at the intersection of Birch Street and Keener Road at about 3:45 a.m.

In the intersection!

He was transported to the Potsdam Police Department where he was evaluated by a drug recognition expert and found to be under the influence of drugs, police said. He was then taken to Canton-Potsdam Hospital where he consented to a blood test.

He is to face the charge Aug. 15 in Pierrepont Town Court. Police said they are waiting for the results of the blood test.

You'll find the source here.

Why would a German company have a party for its top salesmen in Budapest, Hungary? Could it be because prostitution is legal in Hungary? Hmmm. As reported by the BBC:

Munich Re is the world's biggest re-insurer - in other words, the company acts as an insurance company for other insurance companies. One of its divisions, Ergo, told the BBC that the party had taken place to reward salesmen in 2007.

The gathering was held at a thermal baths in the Hungarian capital Budapest as a reward to particularly successful salesmen.

Oh, and you might not want to bring your wives ...

There were about 100 guests and 20 prostitutes were hired.

A German business newspaper said the prostitutes had worn colour-coded arm-bands designating their availability, and the women had their arms stamped after each service rendered.

Wonder what those stamps look like ...

According to [the newspaper] Handelsblatt, quoting an unnamed participant, guests were able to take the women to four-poster beds at the spa "and do whatever they liked".

"There were also women with white wrist bands. They were reserved for board members and the very best sales reps."

What did the company have to say about the party?

A spokesman for Ergo told the BBC that the party had happened, but said it was not the usual way of rewarding their employees.

This will not help in recruiting salesmen. Perhaps "no comment" would have been better ... Here's the source.

Assuming everything this woman says is true, you just have to scratch your head. As reported by www.timesonline (Beaver, Pennsylvania):

The owner of a Moon Township landscaping business has been charged with exposing himself to a female passenger in his car. Moon police have charged 72-year-old Armando Zucchero of 233 Ewings Mill Road, owner of Zucchero Landscaping, by mail with indecent exposure.

So what happened?

The woman said she was walking home to Ridgewood Drive from the Giant Eagle on University Boulevard when Zucchero pulled over near the Sunoco station and offered her a ride. Thinking he was a neighbor of hers, the woman got into the vehicle, police said.

However, even after she realized Zucchero was not the neighbor, the woman was not suspicious because he knew her name and names of her neighbors, she told police. The woman told Zucchero he could drop her off in front of the old Texaco station at University and Moon-Clinton Road, but Zucchero offered to drive her closer to home to Foxwood Road, according to the police report.

A little strange, right?

Zucchero kept driving past Foxwood, however, and as they passed the Appian Way Lounge, she told police, Zucchero exposed himself. She said he then drove all the way to the Dependable Drive-In before turning around and driving back to the Appian Way Lounge, where Zucchero offered to buy her a drink and she accepted, the report said.

Very creepy, and WTF is up with accepting the drink?

Inside the bar, the woman said Zucchero gave her his business card and asked her if she had any friends before offering her $20 and pointing toward his crotch, which she took to mean he wanted sex, the report said.

Even more creepy. So she took off or asked for help, right? Nope.

The woman then said she had to leave and Zucchero again offered a ride, which she accepted.

Oh no you did not just take that ride!

Once in the vehicle, though, the woman said Zucchero again exposed himself, and she jumped out of the moving vehicle and traveled different paths and trails home so he could not follow her, the report said.

So after all that, you decide it's time to get away while in a moving car? Wow. So how did they identify the suspect?

When giving her description to police, the woman said she believed the man who had exposed himself was her elementary school bus driver sometime around 1986 to 1991 who knew her name even though she had never given it to him.

Based on the business card and description, police on Wednesday contacted Zucchero, who denied knowing the woman, offering her money for sex or ever being a bus driver.

Truly a strange case. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. You'll find the source here.

Clearly this lady is not cut out to be a school bus driver. Why? Well, as reported by The Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Florida) ...

A school bus driver has been fired for defecating on school grounds and encouraging a student to drop his pants and "moon" other students through the bus window.

Maureen Butler, 50, also reportedly admitted to district investigators that high-school students threw condoms and tampons on her bus that were found later by elementary school children.

A fine example for the youngsters. You can read a fair amount more here. And yes, she was fired.

Have you heard of license plate readers? They are attached to police cars, and automatically run license plates through databases. Wonder if this guy knew about the pervasive use of this technology? He does now. As reported in the Colorado Springs Police Department Blotter:

Officer Podpora was on routine patrol in the parking lot at Walmart. He was driving an unmarked cruiser equipped with the License Plate Reader, which alerted on a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was occupied by one male. The male was in possesion of drug paraphernalia and .7 grams methamphetamine. The vehicle was returned to the owner.The suspect was taken to CJC for Theft by Receiving and the drug charges.

Here's an example of a license plate reader.

Can you begin a life of crime while still in diapers? The short answer is, it Depends. (Get it!) But seriously, a baby was involved in the commission of a crime. How, you ask? Per The New Hampshire Union Leader:

A New Hampshire woman has been indicted for hiding cigarettes in her baby's diaper before handing the baby to an inmate during a prison visit.

Snap! What are the charges for that?

Forty-five-year-old Wendy Parent of Belmont was charged with delivering contraband to a prisoner - a Class B felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.

First of all, "Parent?" Of course her name is "Parent." Second, 7 years? That would be a little harsh for trying to pass some cigarettes. What about the inmate?

The inmate has not been charged and his identity and relationship to the baby have not been released by prison officials.

In some ways, The Juice is like a comedian hoping the buffoon gets elected so he'll have good material. Well, folks like this will keep The Juice knee-deep in oranges for years to come. Here's yet another example of a time-wasting prosecution of an f-bomb case. The Juice has two words for these folks: First Amendment. As reported by KJZZ (Arizona):

A Mohave County man convicted of trespassing for wearing an obscenity-laced T-shirt to a Board of Supervisors meeting has lost another round in court. KJZZ’s Al Macias reports.

Just remember, he lost a "round." He'll win the fight.

KJZZ first told you about Mervin Fried in March of this year. A justice court found him guilty of trespassing in February after wearing a shirt with obscenities to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors meeting. Fried had maintained that he wore the T-shirt to express his opinion of the board's decision to increase the county tax rate.

What did the shirt say? On the front, it said "Fuck The Tax." On the back was the paraphrasing of quote from Supreme Court Justice Harlan from the case of Cohen v. California:

"One Man's Obscenity is Another's Lyric." Harlan

What law was Mr. Fried accused of violating?

A Superior Court judge recently upheld the trespassing conviction, saying the county's dress code specifically prohibits vulgar messages.

Fried told the Kingman Daily Miner that he plans another appeal.

And he'll win.

Fried now is running for a seat on the Board of Supervisors.

Here's the source. Here's an earlier story, which includes much more detail, and photos of Mr. Fried's shirt.

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?

Continue reading "Um. What Address Did You Say This Was?" »

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.

I don't think Michael Spillman, Jr., of Mansfield, Ohio, will be stealing anything anytime soon. He was at the home of Jacqueline Champion and Bernard Demuth when they left for a funeral. When they came home, Spillman was gone, and so was $2,200 in gaming equipment. As reported in The Mansfield News-Journal:

"[Ms. Champion] got onto his MySpace page and invited him to a cookout," the detective said. "Their plan was to call the police so we could arrest him."

Hey, plans change.

After leading Spillman to the basement, Demuth reportedly clubbed him in the back of the head with a leather-covered baton, causing his head to split open. Parrella said Spillman required six staples to close the wound. The suspects reportedly beat and kicked Spillman for some time, breaking his arm.

Ouchee! After Spillman confessed, and promised not to disclose the beating, they dumped him at the police station. He confessed to the police - and told them about the beating. Champion and Demuth were arrested and charged with felonious assault and kidnapping.

The Juice has learned that William Congreve is the source of this oft-quoted passage:

Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd,

Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.

Suffice it to say that Mr. Congreve had not met a man such as this fellow:

An inebriated man bit off his ex-girlfriend's ear at a restaurant in Chifeng, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, last week.

The man has been arrested.

Days after the woman broke up with him, the man invited her for dinner at a restaurant and begged her to return to him.

When she refused, he pounced on her and bit off one of her ears.

The ear was only found the next morning, which was too late for doctors to fix it back.

An ear for an ear? This story was reported by the North News (China).

A police officer who stepped up in a Fortitude Valley freestyle rap battle has become a cult hit on YouTube, as reported by The Courier-Mail.

The clip shows the officer being taunted by local rapper Fluence, who risks arrest for obscenity and public nuisance with a line about ``makin' bacon''.

Instead of whipping out the cuffs, Constable Jay pulls out a put-down - referring to his adversary ``downloading gay porn and watching it in slow-mo''. The crowd erupts. Constable Jay then quells the uproar with a plea to ``not cause too much of a ruckus''. Constable Jay has since earned the nickname ``Slim Shady'' from his fellow officers.

Here it is:

Constable Jay may have a new career ...

And Real Talk Battles League president Dennyson Willoughby has invited him to participate in a police versus citizens ``battle'' fundraiser at the PCYC. ``Honestly, I've had run-ins with officers and I've never met one so cool,'' Mr Willougby said.

"He just basically stood there, took it with a grain of salt, gave back his two cents and before it got out of hand, said: 'Oi, oi, calm down'.

``He's obviously got skills. Not only did his rhyme make sense, and it was an effective punchline, but he actually fed off of Fluence's rhyme scheme, rhyming 'low-low' and 'po po' with 'hobo' and 'slo-mo'.

``It was a pure, quality, 100 per cent battle-style rebuttal - which came from a cop... which was unexpected.''

Here's the source.

For something that is all about "freedom," this gent has spent a lot of time in jail because of it. For what? As always, The Juice provides you with the naked truth, this time via scotsman.com.

Naked rambler Stephen Gough has been arrested, just three days after he was released from a six-year jail term.

No! Not again!

Gough, who hikes across the United Kingdom nude, was arrested in Townhill, Dunfermline, yesterday afternoon by officers from Fife Constabulary. The 53-year-old had been released from Perth prison on Tuesday.

A spokesman for Fife Constabulary said he had been arrested following complaints from members of the public and had been charged with a breach of the peace.

Damn you public! Seriously, the man is not hurting anyone.

The former marine, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, earned the “naked rambler” nickname by walking unclothed from Land’s End to John o’ Groats after quitting his job as a lorry driver.

He said earlier this week, as he walked free from jail, that he planned to walk to England to see his family.

In the past, officers at Perth prison would wait at the gates of the jail to re-arrest him on his release as he set off naked. However, this week they decided to turn a blind eye.

Finally! The man served his country. Good choice to let him be.

As he strolled through Perthshire naked on Thursday, he reportedly said: “The human body is not offensive – anyone who thinks this is offensive is acting irrationally. It is social conditioning gone wrong.”

Gough went on: “Freedom is why I am doing this. The naked bit is secondary. So I’ve not won or lost my battle. I’ve not lost time behind bars because I am still alive and free. And that’s how it will stay.”

He said he had spent up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement at Perth because of his refusal to wear clothes.

If that's true, it's beyond idiotic. It's criminal.

He said the time passed quickly and that, although he had expected trouble from some inmates, most had been supportive and friendly.

As for the origin of the journey ...

Gough’s initial Land’s End to John o’ Groat’s trip began in 2003 and was beset with difficulties, including numerous arrests, beatings from gangs of youths and time in a psychiatric hospital. [A psychiatric assessment has concluded that Gough is sane.]

Each time he has appeared in court, he has been naked apart from a blanket. He has mostly been charged with a breach of the peace by conducting himself in a disorderly manner, by walking naked in the presence of the public.

He continues to refuse to wear clothes, and says that he would like to repeal indecency laws and establishment attitudes.

For this he's spent the past 6 years in jail? Not cool. Here's the source, including a photo of Mr. Gough.