By: jd8888

jd8888 — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:15:21 +0000

Sory, but this comes as no surprise here. Years ago in a certain county in Southern California, I made the serious mistake of trying to stop what I believed to be a crime in progress. A couple of teenagers were throwing rocks at moving cars in a shopping mall, and I had verbally admonished them to stop and leave the area, which they refused to do. The ringleader of the two picked up a boulder with both hands, and jumped out behind a parked van, trying to heave this boulder at the windshield of a car driven by an elderly lady – he missed by only a couple of feet. Realizing that the little punk was in imminent danger of causing serious injury if not killing someone, I chased him out of the parking lot, hoping to give him a good scare and motivate his ass to go home. However, he tripped, I ran into him, and he fell and broke his arm. The story soom transmogrified into that of an innocent little child who was attacked and beat up by some mean old man for no reason at all. I was arrested and spent the night in jail. Upon my release, I received a letter from the DA's office stating that they had reviewed my case and were not going to press any charges, but soon after that somebody started a campaign behind the scenes to get me charged, and a couple of weeks latter I was notified that I was being charged with PC 243, Felony Battery, a “strike” in the sate of California. The lawyer who I hired seemed to either be incapacitated or intimidated by our local LA, and at the hearing refused to contest ridiculous accusations made under oath by the kid's mother (who was not present) and the other JD (who fled the scene), who testified that I had “punched” his rock-throwing buddy and that “he flew a hundred feet through the air”. The fact that the accusations were completely uncredible and ridiculous didn't seem to make a bit of difference, and the impression I received from my attorney through the whole experience was that you didn't dare challenge the DA ( a militant lesbian, FWIW) when she was one one of her pet crusades if you wanted to still have a legal career in that county. Thanks to the threat of 2 years in State Prison (and not with the bad check writers) and a strike on my record, I was coerced into a plea-bargain of a felony assault conviction, community service, and 3 years probation. I'm now qa convicted felon: no voting rights, no right to own a personal firearm, and unemployable in the profession that I spent many years and tens of thousands of dollars to get an education and become qualified. I have sinced moved from the State of California to one where the locals at least have some semblance of sanity.

By: Hot Air » Blog Archive » California court holds rescuers liable for injuries

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:26:53 +0000

[...] Update: Forgot to hat-tip Patrick Edaburn at The Moderate Voice. [...]

Comments on: California Supreme Court Says Go Ahead And Punish Those Good Deeds

By: jd8888

By: Hot Air » Blog Archive » California court holds rescuers liable for injuries