Legal Juice

It is a fact [or at least truthy] that most younger people don't proofread. The Juice refers to this as "Spell Check Syndrome." There's a kid in Montana who is now likely cured of that malady. Here's how it happened, as reported by The Helena Independent Record:

A Helena teen sent out a text message last week looking to buy marijuana, only instead of texting the drug dealer, he hit a wrong number.

Who received it? The Lewis and Clark County sheriff [Leo Dutton].

The text message said: “Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?”

Little dude and his buddy got stung, but got off, thanks to a compassionate cop. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Life lesson: When things are going well, STFU - advice a 19-year-old German man surely wishes he had followed. As reported by Reuters:

A German bank robber led his pursuers straight to him after taunting police in an email over their efforts to catch him. Authorities in the southern city of Wuerzburg said on Wednesday the 19-year-old sent emails to police and two newspapers to point out factual errors in the report of his bank raid in the town of Roettingen a week ago.

According to daily Bild, he mocked the police for getting his age, height and accent wrong then pointed out he escaped in a car, not on foot.

Police traced his email and arrested him in a gambling hall in Hamburg just a few hours later.

So not only does his taunt provide factual information that would assist in his identification, he uses a traceable email account! Brilliant! Based on all this, the young man's reaction upon being caught shouldn't surprise you.

"He was completely shocked," the spokesman said.

Doh!

Perhaps it was just the candor pander, but The Juice is always impressed when someone just fesses up, like this woman did when she included a bag of cocaine with her bank deposit! No "ur, uh, um" from this woman, as reported by The Hartford Courant:

A Wethersfield woman making a bank deposit about 4 p.m. Thursday included something extra in the envelope she passed to a drive-up teller at the Rockville Bank on Ellington Road, police said.

Contained in Kendl Murphy's deposit envelope was a small bag containing a white powder, police said. While a teller handled Murphy's transaction, other bank staff called police.

Responding officers used a chemical field test and the powder tested positive for cocaine, said Sgt. Scott Custer.

Aha! Now what do you have to say for yourself?

As for the suspected cocaine, "she said something to the effect that it was left over from the weekend and she didn't realize she left it in that envelope," Custer said.

The less forthcoming of you might be thinking about her confession up and wondering "was she high?" And the answer is ... nope.

Police tested Murphy and determined she was not under the influence of anything at the time of the incident.

Here's the source, including a photo of Ms. Murphy.

If you're a cornered criminal, sometimes just taking off is your best bet. But if you're going to do that, it's best not to leave any evidence behind. As reported in The Naples Daily News:

Cory L. Dalton had some simple advice for his mother, Lori Lynn Larocque, when Collier County sheriff’s deputies say they were caught shoplifting from a Kmart in June: "Run, ma, run."

Remember what The Juice said about the evidence?

Dalton and his mother did run, and got away temporarily. But Larocque left her debit card behind, and on Tuesday investigators located them at Dalton’s home and arrested them.

I thought you had it! Uh-uh. I thought you had it!

Both Dalton, 19, of the 4500 block of Coral Palm Lane, Golden Gate Estates, and Larocque, 38, of the 8900 block of Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs, were charged with petty theft. Dalton was also arrested on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a marijuana possession charge.

And in case the cops needed more evidence ...

Surveillance video showed a distinctive tattoo on Larocque’s arm. That tattoo was clearly visible when she was located.

Doh! Here's the source, including photos.

You've occasionally had one too many. Admit it. But perhaps not as many as a San Diego, California man recently did, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

A Pacific Beach man had a surprise waiting for him in his living room Sunday morning: a stranger sleeping naked on his couch.

And just in case you need another reason to lock your doors ...

The naked man had mistakenly arrived at the condominium after a night of drinking, inexplicably took off his clothes on the porch and entered the unlocked front door, San Diego Police Lt. Jim Filley said.

After discovering the disrobed interloper around 7:30 a.m., the homeowner went back upstairs to his bedroom, armed himself and told his wife to call 911, Filley said.

“This gentleman thought he had been walking into his own home, which is in Mission Valley” nearly 20 miles away, the officer said. “We think it was an honest mistake.”

The homeowner declined to press trespassing charges against the intruder.

“He was sober, so he got dressed and went on his way,” Filley said.

Here The Juice was getting ready to holler about getting a gun out to deal with a naked guy, and the gunslinger goes and does the right thing. Well done, sir.

Everyone is forgetful occasionally. But some things you just can't forget. Like that you left your baby in the car ... for 40 minutes. It happened in Colorado Springs. This is from the Colorado Springs Police Blotter:

Incident Date: June 24, 2010 - Time: 1:30:00 PM - Location: Panera Bread Restaurant

Summary: On the above date and time, officers from the Gold Hill Division were dispatched to the Panera Bread Restaurant to investigate the report of a child that had been left in a car. Officers determined that a 9 month old child had inadvertently been left in a locked car in the parking lot for approximately 40 minutes while the parents had gone into the restaurant for a meal. When the parents came out and realized their mistake, they took immediate actions to call the police and medical personnel.

Two questions: 1) HOW DO BOTH PARENTS FORGET ABOUT A CHILD FOR 40 MINUTES? 2) How can it possibly take you 40 minutes to eat at Panera? Back to the report ..

They took first-aid steps for their child's welfare and the child recovered and was responsive on scene. The baby was transported to Memorial Hospital (Central) as a precautionary measure for evaluation. There was no indication of any injury to the child and he was released to the custody of the parents.

So what do you think? Crime or no crime?

After an exhaustive investigation and consultation with appropriate agencies, no criminal charges were filed in this case. This incident serves as a reminder that leaving children unattended in a vehicle is dangerous and potentially fatal.

Really? Perhaps the reminder would be a little more powerful if the parents were punished!

One can imagine the would-be abductors talking beforehand: "Hey, how about that kid?" "Sure, why not?" Here's why not: Not only was he on his way home boxing training, but the kid is "the two-time Australian junior champion and two-time Queensland champion." As reported in The Cairns Post:

It seemed innocent enough - three people in a mini-van asking for directions at a well-lit intersection at 8pm on Wednesday in the quiet rural community of Yungaburra.

"It seems so innocent," 15-year-old Jackson said yesterday. "They stopped and asked for directions and I walked up to the campervan to help. The sliding door opened fast and I spun around to see what was happening.

Here it comes ...

"Then this bloke grabbed me by the collar and tried to drag me into the van. He was really trying to drag me in but I pulled back with all my weight and then I hit him in the left ear."

Bam!

It only took one punch from the two-time Australian junior champion and two-time Queensland champion to send the alleged abductors fleeing up Maple St from the scene.

Nice. Here's the source, including a photo of the pugilist.

Maybe you can get away with giving a fake name to the cops for a little while, but in this day and age, not for long. Although in this case, technology was not even a factor. From the Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Post:

When most people get pulled over by Murfreesboro’s finest and are asked to produce identification, they do so willingly.

But David Prochaska, 21, of Tomahawk Trace, thought differently when he was pulled over Wednesday and claimed to not have an ID on his person. He also gave a fake name and social security number.

That’s not the only difference between Prochaska and most people. He also has his initials tattooed on his neck.

Doh!

After noticing D.J.P. on the suspects neck, Murfreesboro Police Officer Ramona Thomas, searched Prochaska only to find a receipt in his pocket with his real name on it.

“It was also determined that Mr. Prochaska had four active warrants of his arrest,” Thomas reported.

Doh!

Go ahead and scratch your head. I did, after reading this story about where a father decided to hide some weed. From The Herald-Standard:

A Fayette County father is behind bars facing drug charges after he allegedly put several ounces of suspected marijuana in his son's blue Elmo backpack - and the child took it to school Thursday morning.

State police alleged that Ronald Washington, 33, of Uniontown called Menallen School in the Uniontown Area School District around 8:15 a.m. to ask if his son, a kindergarten student, had arrived.

Washington, of 6 Wilson Ave., told school officials that he needed to get something from his son's backpack [Noooooooooo!], prompting staff to search it, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Trooper Timothy G. Selden.

Inside, they found two plastic bags of suspected marijuana that were next to the boy's homework, police indicated. The suspected drug weighed about 105 grams, or 3.7 ounces, police said. Selden, who arrived at the school around 8:50 a.m., indicated in the filing that there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the book bag.

It's a trap!

While police were at the school, Washington showed up. When Selden told Washington what he found, the father reportedly told police, "It was something dumb," police said.

Should have listened to The Juice...

Washington faces charges of possession and possession with intent to deliver marijuana, as well as disorderly conduct.

Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George set Washington's bond at $100,000 straight cash. During Washington's arraignment, George told him that the bond was set at a high amount because the drugs were taken into a school, and students were put in potential danger.

Really? $100,000 cash bond?

George scheduled a preliminary hearing for a later date.

A woman in Broadview Heights, Ohio was kind enough to lend a helping hand to the police. Unfortunately for her, the help consisted of literally leaving a trail for the police from the scene of the crime directly to her house. From the police blotter, as reported by The Sun Star Courier:

RECKLESS OPERATION, RICHARD ROAD: At 4:46 p.m. on Saturday, a resident called police because a dark blue minivan hit a brick mailbox. Plastic remnants from the van’s headlight were scattered along the scene.

Thanks to an antifreeze leak, an officer was able to follow a trail to a home on Quail Oval in North Royalton.

A 39-year-old female admitted to striking the mailbox. She struck it hard enough to deploy the airbag.

The woman was charged with operating a vehicle intoxicated, reasonable control and failure to stop after an accident.

Doh. Good thing she only hit a mailbox.

Are you worse off if you mistext (text the wrong number) or sext? That would depend on what was in the mistext, and who you sent it to. One Mindy Lynn Neugebauer, 26, of Mangum [Oklahoma] would likely go with mistexting. Here's why, per The Altus Times:

According to reports, agent Chris Counts of the Distirct III Drug Task Force received a text message that said, “if you want a hit of this stuff (reference to illegal narcotics) before it is all gone, you better get over here.” He texted back asking the address and got an answer. Counts checked the utility registration and found it to belong to Neugebauer.

Uh oh.

Officers went to the address and told Neugebauer about the text message, and she said she thought she had sent the message to a friend. She said the hits she was talking about were from a blunt marijuana rolled inside a cigar, and that was all she had in the residence.

Hmmm. Admit to something and hope they'll buy it and go away. Successful? Nope.

She allowed officers to search the house where they found a loaded .22 caliber pistol in the bathroom closet, and a small plastic sack containing suspected cocaine under her mattress. A field test determined the presence of cocaine from the powder.

The evidence was submitted to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation laboratory for further testing.

Amazing how a mistyped number can change your life.

A felony warrant was issued for Neugebauer on charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled drug with the intent to distribute. Bond was set at $25,000.

Source: The Altus Times.

I'm guessing this Detroit man (no, not the costumed dude above) was trying to lend a hand to the police in dealing with prostitution in the area. So he posed as a cop, and busted up a "transaction." Only problem was - he stepped into a sting! The "prostitute" was actually a cop. And a our would-be cop is in a world of trouble. From wxyz in Detroit:

Investigators say that around 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, the man pulled up to a female detective in the area of Vernor and Oakdale on the city's east side. At the time the detective, who was posing as a prostitute, was talking with another man.

The suspect, who was in a red 1994 Ford Ranger yelled at the detective to "get off the street." Officers say this is when he flashed a badge. The other man sped off, and officers say the suspect began following the detective ranting that he was a cop. When the detective revealed she was a police officer, the man took off. He was arrested a short time later by the nearby arrest team.

When questioned, the suspect denied having a badge. However, officers say the found a Detroit Police department badge, a loaded .40 caliber Glock pistol and hats and clothing with DPD logos during a search of his truck.

Damn! A loaded glock? In addition to the insult of unknowingly stepping into a real police sting, the charges ....

The suspect is being held in Hamtramck until he can be arraigned on one count of impersonating a police officer.

Movies ... real life. Movies ... real life. See where we're going here? Mr. Travis Hayter apparently confused the two, much to the detriment of fellow golfer Alan Bezanson. As reported by the CBC:

A man who hit a golf ball straight at another player, injuring him, has been ordered by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to pay more than $225,000 in damages. Plaintiff Alan Bezanson says he hasn't been able to work since he was injured on June 8, 2002.

The New Glasgow, N.S., man and the defendant, Travis Hayter, were golfing in a foursome that day as part of a wedding celebration for Bezanson's cousin. By the time they reached the 16th hole, Hayter had consumed nine beers and a half pint of tequila, the court heard.

9 beers AND half a pint of tequila? Incredibly, not only was the dude still standing, he was going all Happy Gimore.

That's when he ran up to his ball and took a swing out of turn. Someone yelled, "Heads up, he's going to hit again." But it was too late for Bezanson, who was standing no more than 20 metres away. Hayter hit what court documents refer to as a "so-called Happy Gilmore shot," named after a film character played by Adam Sandler.

According to court documents, Bezanson put up his hand to protect himself and the ball hit his left wrist, causing permanent damage to his radial nerve.

Bezanson, a woodcutter, has been unable to work without pain. When the case originally went to court, a judge awarded $227,500 to Bezanson, a father of three.

How did "Happy" take it? He appealed. The grounds?

... it wasn't the first Happy Gilmore-style shot he had taken that day and Bezanson should have known what was coming.

The result? Not good for Happy.

...the Court of Appeal dismissed that argument, upholding the earlier court's ruling that Hayter's behaviour was not a "natural risk" of golfing.

Hayter was ordered to pay Bezanson $85,000 in damages, $67,500 in lost income and $75,000 for lost future earning capacity.

Ouch, all around.

The day may come when The Juice reveals the 11th commandment... But this day, we have the story of a man who violated the 12th commandment: Don't Be Afraid. And his dog almost paid the ultimate price. Per the Cairns Post:

A man was so convinced he was going to jail for hosting a noisy New Year's Day party he put his things in storage and arranged to have his dog put down, a Cairns court heard.

But an anxious Keat Paul Wylie, 20, who faced Cairns Magistrates' Court yesterday for contravening a police direction to turn his stereo down, was told he could only be fined for the offence.

"Mr Wylie has been very stressed, he had actually sought legal advice and was told by the lawyer he was definitely going to jail for six months," duty lawyer Michelle Emeleus said.

Hmm. Can you say "bar counsel?"

"As a result he had put his property in storage and he was about to have his dog put down."

Yikes.

The court heard police told Wylie to turn down the music at his home in Cooktown Rd, Edmonton, about 10.30pm on January 1.

But when the loud music continued, they returned at 2.17am to issue him with a notice to appear in court for contravening the direction.

Wylie, who is on a suspended sentence, was fined $250 and had no conviction recorded.

Remember, Juice readers, to heed the 12th commandment: Don't be afraid!

I would wager that this was one door-to-door salesman some of you Juice readers would be quite pleased to see. What was he selling? Weed! As luck would have it (bad luck, that is), one of the doorbells he rang at 3:30 a.m. was at the home of a Brownsville police officer. Doh! Per The Brownsville Herald:

Anthony Carrazco, 19, was arrested at the officer’s apartment at approximately 3:30 a.m. when he tried to sell the officer three ounces of marijuana, said police spokesman Jimmy Manrrique. He was later charged with one count of possession of marijuana and one count of possession of a prohibited weapon.

And the kicker?

Because the apartment was located near a school zone, the charges were upgraded to state jail felonies.

Damn you school zone! Here's how it went down, per the police spokesman:

(Carrazco) went to an apartment building in the downtown area. He had over three ounces of marijuana in his possession and obviously looking for people to buy marijuana from him.

An intoxicated Carrazco went door to door looking for a buyer and when a man opened the door, he made the offer.

(Carrazco) asked him if he wanted to buy marijuana. This person he approached is a Brownsville police officer. The officer said he would be right back and went to go get his badge and handcuffs.

Carrazco was cooperative and didn’t offer any resistance.

If you're wondering "Is there a 'right' Mercedes to steal?" - the answer is a resounding "yes." It would be a Mercedes that doesn't have a lion in the back.. Per The Telegraph:

Caesar, Circus Probst's ferocious five-year-old star, was being transported a Mercedes van when the vehicle was stolen.

The thief drove off, but abandoned the vehicle with the engine still running after crashing into a road sign. It was unclear whether the thief's sudden awareness of the animal in the back of the van had inspired him or her to abort the mission.

Unclear? I think we can probably dispense with the guesswork. Although, that must be one quiet lion ...

Police recovered the van in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Wuppertal, in western Germany.

They towed the van away, unaware of its feline freight, and it was not until midday on Wednesday that the circus lion was returned to its rightful owners, more than 12 hours after the adventure began.

In case you're concerned about Caesar's well-being ...

"Caesar is fine. We're not worried about him," said Laurens Thoen, a circus spokesman.

"Since yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon he has been in his enclosure at the circus."

This guy could not have made it easier for the police officer to bust him. He just flat-out looked guilty. From pennlive.com:

Cesar Lopez, a 29-year-old Lebanon, Pa., man, was busted Saturday when he walked up to a police officer with a small bag of marijuana stuck to his forehead, according to Lebanon police.

Police said the officer went into a Turkey Hill convenience store on Lehman Street at 3:25 a.m. Saturday and saw Lopez holding a baseball cap and peering inside it. When Lopez approached the officer, he looked up, and the officer said he saw a small plastic bag stuck to Lopez's forehead. The bag appeared to contain marijuana, police said.

The officer retrieved the bag from Lopez’s forehead and said, “Is this what you are looking for?,” according to the police report. Lopez was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kind of bizarre, right? Not too.

It is not uncommon for people to hide drugs in the inside lip of a cap, police said.

Here's the source.

Oh my god! Did you hear that screaming out back? I'm going to call the police! What did the police find? As reported in the Northern Territory News:

Officers scrambled to respond to an emergency call from a woman who reported a possible attack when she heard someone "in distress" behind a fence about 6.30am.

But when police arrived they discovered what the resident had heard was, in fact, cries of passion.

They found a naked couple having sex on a mattress in a laneway backing on to the resident's property on Gap Rd, Alice Springs.

Um, er, uh ...

The officers did not charge the man and woman and asked them to move on.

Talk about ruining the mood ...

Darn it! I went and gave it away, didn't I? If I asked you to guess what some of the members of Polk County's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force were doing while their coworkers were executing a search warrant, you'd probably guess "playing a Wii" right? As reported by Florida's News Channel 8:

With guns drawn and flashlights cutting through darkened rooms, Polk County undercover drug investigators stormed the home of convicted drug dealer Michael Difalco near Lakeland in March.

As investigators searched the home for drugs, some drug task force members found other ways to occupy their time. Within 20 minutes of entering Difalco's house, some of the investigators found a Wii video bowling game and began bowling frame after frame.

While some detectives hauled out evidence such as flat screen televisions and shotguns, others threw strikes, gutter balls and worked on picking up spares.

A Polk County sheriff's detective cataloging evidence repeatedly put down her work and picked up a Wii remote to bowl. When she hit two strikes in a row, she raised her arms above her head, jumping and kicking.

Now, you may be asking yourself "how did anyone find out about this?" The answer, loyal Juice readers, will surprise you:

... detectives with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the Auburndale, Lakeland and Winter Haven police departments did not know that a wireless security camera connected to a computer inside Difalco's home was recording their activity.

Doh! You can read more (a lot) here and see excerpts of the security camera footage here.

In this [alleged] car thief's defense, how could he have known that the POV ("personally owned vehicle") he stole belonged to a police officer. Oops. This is from the Colorado Springs Police Blotter:

Summary: On 08/13/2009 at 0600, off duty Officer Ruben Crews reported his POV as stolen from his residence. the vehicle did contain some police gear including his police jacket.

Officer Crews and his spouse were out searching for the vehicle and upon returning to their home they found the vehicle in the driveway. They also discovered that a window had been breached to the residence. Upon searching the outside of the residence, Officer Crews encountered a male identified as Michael Reeder, DOB: 05/30/64, wearing his police jacket. Officer Crews produced his badge and identified himself as a police officer. A struggle ensued and Reeder was taken into custody.

Officer Crews sustained a hand injury and was treated at Memorial Hospital. Reeder sustained a head injury as was taken to Penrose for a medical clearance.

Was Mr. Reeder also singing "Y.M.C.A." while wearing Officer Crews's jacket?

Reeder will be charged with Motor Vehicle Theft and Burglary.