Personal Injury and Criminal Defense Legal Blog
Archive – 2009 – August
Robber Sent Up the River, Minus Inner Tube
The Seattle Times recently reported about a man who orchestrated an elaborate armored car robbery. The 28-year-old Lake Stevens man committed the heist in September 2008, and put a considerable amount of thought into the robbery. Though prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal with the accused man, the ruling judge sentenced the man to six years based on the urging of the federal probation department.
The robbery began at a Bank of America. The 28-year-old man dressed as a landscaper, pepper-sprayed an armored truck driver and fled on foot with two bags of money, making his way towards a nearby creek. To pose as a distraction, the man had hired decoy landscapers to show up at the location the same time that the theft crime in Washington was being committed, a tactic that did in fact confuse police during the pursuit, rendering them unable to catch up to the robber. The man, upon reaching the creek, removed his landscaper’s uniform, hopped in a yellow inner-tube, and drifted away to his apparent safety. Police, however, were soon able to connect the man to the robbery based on the DNA evidence found on the discarded uniform left by the creek’s edge.
Though the vast majority of robberies do not involve such extensive planning, the end result is almost always the same: the accused is caught and taken into custody. Though the evidence in this case was incriminating enough to result in conviction, all cases are not the same. Often times, mistaken identity may play a determining factor in police focusing their investigation on one or more parties, even though those parties are ultimately innocent of the crime being investigated. In some instances, extenuating circumstances may assist in seeking, and being granted, more minimal charges. Though the article discussing this case did mention that the convicted man was addicted to prescription pain medication, extenuating circumstances that could help warrant a more favorable outcome in conviction would be more in line with mental illness or diminished mental capacity that could result in lack of reasoning and proper decision-making skills.
In any event, if you stand accused of a crime, it is important that you have legal counsel on your side that can sort through the details of your case and provide you with the strongest possible defense. At McNeese & Trotsky, PLLC, our skilled criminal defense attorneys will fight for you to ensure that your rights are not infringed upon in a court of law. If you or a loved one has been accused, please don’t hesitate to call us today at 888-282-6977 for a free consultation.
Source Article:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009546752_webinnertube27m.html
State Troopers Accused of Seagull Clubbing
The Seattle Times recently reported in a story that two Washington-state troopers are being investigated for fatally clubbing three seagulls on the roof of a Seattle ferry terminal. Those familiar with the incident claim that the seagulls were harassing ferry workers and others in the area. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the matter.
A Washington State Patrol Captain explained that the two accused troopers have been placed on administrative leave. The two troopers stand accused of misdemeanor activity that could land them in jail for up to one year and force them to pay a fine not to exceed $5,000. Because seagulls are protected animals under Washington law, penalties for killing seagulls are harsher than if they had not been protected.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is currently examining the case, while Washington State Patrol will conduct its own review of the case afterwards. At this point, it is clear that the troopers did in fact kill the seagulls, although their motive for doing so remains unclear. It has been speculated that the seagulls the officers killed were in fact juvenile birds in a nest, begging some to question the excessive force used during the incident. This speculation would explain the adult birds’ reported aggressive behavior in the immediate area where the incident took place.
Until every detail in this case had been considered and validated, it is important to remember that all people who are accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty. If you or a loved one has recently been accused of a crime, please don’t hesitate to contact the criminal defense attorneys in Seattle at McNeese & Trotsky. Our skilled lawyers will examine the circumstances surrounding your case to ensure that all false accusations are dropped. Call us today for a free consultation, and we will help restore your good name.
Seattle Soccer Player Accused of Rape
Seattle’s local ABC affiliate KOMO-TV, channel 4, recently reported in an account that a 27-year-old Major League Soccer player has been accused of sexually assaulting a female student from the University of Oregon. The supposed sexual assault took place on July 1, 2007 in Eugene, Oregon.
The alleged victim met the athlete at Rennie’s Landing, a bar in Eugene, while she was with her school’s soccer team. The woman left the bar around midnight, and began walking alone to her home, also in Eugene. The woman was then allegedly approached by the athlete, who supposedly asked if he could walk with her for a while. The woman agreed to his company. Reportedly, as the two walked by a cemetery, the athlete, according to the woman, “subjected her to a brutal, forcible sexual assault,” which included rape.
The woman filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County and is seeking damages amounting to $10 million for the physical and emotional pain that she suffered, in addition to decreased quality of life that she now endures. A high profile case in and of itself in that in involves a professional athlete, the case is the largest sexual assault lawsuit in the history of Major League Soccer.
Though the circumstances of this attack were not more specifically discussed, particularly whether or not alcohol played a factor, investigation will hopefully accurately reveal what happened exactly. Regardless of true circumstance, in all criminal defense cases, it is important to retain the services of an experienced criminal defense attorney that can sort through the details to determine the true nature of the supposed crime. The Seattle sex crimes defense attorneys at McNeese & Trotsky will handle every aspect of your case, and can be the difference between a conviction and your personal freedom. If you or a loved one has been accused of sexual assault, please don’t hesitate to call our skilled attorneys for a free consultation.